llm 


UBRAR 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE    FIRST   STEP   ON    INDIAN   SOIL— LANDING   AT    BOMBAY. 
(See  Page   109.) 


THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR 

A  DIARY  IN  INDIA; 


WITH    SOME   ACCOUNT   OF 


THE   VISITS   OF   HIS    ROYAL   HIGHNESS 

TO  THE  COURTS  OF 

GREECE,  EGYPT,  SPAIN,  AND  PORTUGAL. 

BY 

WILLIAM   HOWARD   RUSSELL. 


WITH   ILLUSTRATIONS    BY    SYDNEY   P.    HALL,    M.A.t 

ARTIST  IN   THE   SUITE  OF   H.  K.  H.   THE   PRINCE  OF  WALES. 


NEW     YORK: 

LOVELL,    ADAM.    WESSON    &    COMPANY'. 
7(54    BROADWAY. 


LAKE   OHAMPLAIN    PRESS. 
ROUSES   POINT,    N.  V. 


BY     PERMISSION     TO 


HIS  ROYAL  HIGHNESS 
ALBERT  EDWARD,  PRINCE  OF  WALES. 


85957 


TO  THE  READER. 


A  FEW  words  to  the  reader  to  explain  some  matters  con- 
nected with  this  book.  It  is  a  Journal  or  Diary  kept  from 
day  to  day,  in  which  the  Prince  of  Wales  is  the  central 
figure  round  which  all  the  things,  persons  and  events  men- 
tioned in  it  revolve,  so  that  if  his  name  and  title  occur 
repeatedly  in  the  same  page,  it  is  necessary,  from  the  nature 
of  the  work,  that  they  should  do  so.  The  impressions  re- 
corded by  the  writer  are  his  own  ;  and  if,  as  is  rarely  the 
case,  opinions  are  expressed  on  questions  of  policy  or  of 
government,  they  must  not  be  ascribed  to  anyone  but  to 
him  who  states  them.  Wherever  the  word  "  we  "  occurs, 
the  reader  is  prayed  to  take  it  as  meaning  "  the  Royal  party," 
not  as  the  pronoun  in  an  editorial  sense,  or  as  indicative  of 
any  intent  to  involve  the  identity  of  the  Prince  with  that  of 
the  gentlemen  who  accompanied  him. 

WILLIAM  HOWARD  RUSSELL. 

Middle  Temple,  1877. 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  PRI>CE  OF  WALES  told  :i  distinguished  audience  which  had 
been  invited  by  the  Governor  to  meet  him  at  a  State  Banquet 
soon  after  his  arrival  in  Bombay,  that  "  it  had  long  been  the 
dream  of  his  life  to  visit  India."  The  idea  of  a  tour  in  the 
Eastern  possessions  of  the  Crown  appears  to  have  been  first 
suggested  by  Lord  Canning,  whilst  he  was  still  in  India,  to  the 
Prince  Consort  as  part  of  the  education  of  the  Heir  Apparent; 
and  it  was  no  doubt  included  in  the  great  scheme  of  instruction 
devised  for  the  Prince  by  one  who  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
value  of  the  eye,  when  it  is  quick  and  observant,  in  aiding  the 
other  faculties  in  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  the  power  it 
has  of  impressing  the  mind — 

"  Segnius  irritant  animos  demissa  per  aurem, 
Quam  quae  sunt  oculis  subjecta  fidelibus  et  quae 
Ipse  sibi  tradit  spectator." 

It  is  probable  that  the  Prince  Consort,  with  his  acute  intelligence, 
would  have  perceived  the  advantages  of  sending  the  Prince  of 
Wales  to  learn  something  of  the  Empire  over  which  he  was  one 
day  to  reign  without  any  such  suggestion,  and  that  he  would  have 
recommended  the  Queen  to  include  her  Indian  dominions  in  the 
programme  of  travel  laid  down  for  him.  Lord  Canning — the 
first  Viceroy,  as  Lord  Northbrook  was  the  last — ruled  India 
more  absolutely,  perhaps,  than  his  successors,  because  he  was 
charged  vith  the  conduct  of  affairs  during  the  greatest  strain  to 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION. 

which  the  Imperial  Power  had  been  subjected ;  but  he  was 
deeply  convinced,  even  in  the  hour  of  triumph,  of  the  necessity 
of  cheating  some  substitute  for  the  prestige  of  the  great  authority 
which  had  been  overthrown  for  ever.  The  East  India  "  Com- 
pany "  to  the  princes  and  peoples  of  India  was  not  an  empty 
abstraction.  In  the  recesses  of  the  national  brain,  mixed  up 
with  images  of  mythological  personages  and  of  their  heavenly 
attributes,  there  was  a  dim  conception  of  it,  as  of  a  great  physical 
force,  of  which  there  were  manifestations  in  the  paraphernalia  of 
executive  power,  the  dignity  of  the  magistrature,  and  in  armies 
terrible  with  banners.  To  the  princes  and  peoples  the  Gover- 
nor-General was,  after  all,  only  the  servant  of  the  "  Company," 
for  they  saw  that  the  haughtiest  and  most  powerful  of  them  all 
was  so  swayed  by  its  decrees  that,  if  th|  "  Company"  pleased, 
he  could  be  swept  clean  off  the  scene  of  his  apparent  domination. 
When  the  Queen's  Proclamation,  which  may  be  styled  the  Magna 
Charta  of  India,  was  read  to  the  Chiefs  assembled  at  Allahabad 
on  the  ist  November,  1852,  there  were  few  of  them — and  they 
were  not  many  there — who  could  understand  what  was  the  power 
which  had  destroyed  the  East  India  Company,  and  what  au- 
thority replaced  it.  The  Oudh  Talukdars,  who  remained  in  arms, 
would  not  give  faith  to  promises  made  to  them  in  the  name  of 
"  the  Queen."  Even  the  soldiers  of  the  British  regiments  of  the 
East  India  Company's  army  refused  to  recognize  the  right  of  the 
Crown  and  of  Parliament  to  transfer  their  allegiance  and  ser- 
vices without  their  consent ;  and  a  very  great  danger  arising  from 
their  discontent,  which  Lord  Clyde  and  Sir  W.  Mansfield  regard- 
ed with  profound  apprehension,  was  only  averted  by  manage- 
ment and  concession.  The  Governor-General  saw  how  desirable 
it  was,  at  a  time  when  the  basis  on  which  our  authority  rested 
had  been  shaken  to  the  very  foundation,  that  India  should  have 
an  outward  and  visible  sign  of  the  personal  existence  of  the 
Power  which  had  control  of  her  destinies ;  and  he  appreciated 
the  great  benefits  which  would  accrue  from  personal  intercourse 
with  her  princes  and  people  to  one  who  would  occupy  a  position 
in  which  he  must  exercise  immense  influence  over  the  direction 


INTRODUCTION.  IX 

of  affairs — not  the  less  because  exercised  indirectly  and  without 
responsibility.  But  the  Prince  of  Wales  was  only  seventeen 
years  of  age.  Circumstances,  such  as  the  lamented  deaths  of 
Lord  Elgin  and  General  Bruce,  caused  the  intended  visit  to  be 
deferred,  after  it  had  been  accepted  as  an  incident  in  a  general 
scheme  of  travel ;  and  the  activity  of  the  Prince's  disposition 
found  opportunities  for  development,  meantime,  in  tours  in 
foreign  countries,  and  in  constant  participation  in  functions  of 
State  importance,  or  of  a  national  character,  at  home.  The 
journey  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  which  had  been  seized  upon 
by  the  Princes  of  India  as  an  occasion  for  lavish  offers  of  splen- 
did hospitality,  and  for  profuse  munificence,  had  given  already 
some  indication  of  the  manner  in  which  his  elder  brother,  Heir 
to  the  Throne,  would  be  feted  and  welcomed  whenever  he  could 
go  amongst  them. 

But  the  deplorable  assassination  of  the  Earl  of  Mayo,  unit- 
ed with  the  memory  of  other  sinister  events,  suggested  the 
necessity  of  caution,  and  increased  the  dread  of  responsibility  of 
these  who  were  charged  with  the  action  of  government  in  such 
a  matter.  The  Prince  of  Wales  could  not  travel  incognito  in 
India.  His  movements  would  be  known  to  all  the  world  before- 
hand. There,  no  doubt,  were  men  who  would  esteem  themselves 
happy  in  venturing  their  lives  on  the  chance  of  destroying  one 
so  clear  to  Feringhee  rulers.  Religious  passion  "  and  study  of 
revenge,  immortal  hate,"  might  arm  many  a  desperate  hand  ; 
and  certain  exhibitions  of  the  fanaticism  of  the  Wahabee,  or  of 
the  strong  prejudices  of  the  Hindoo,  showed  that  the  apprehen- 
sions of  those  who  considered  that  no  precautions  should  be 
neglected  were  worthy  of  the  gravest  consideration. 

In  the  winter  of  1874,  the  project.-of  a  tour  to  India  in  the 
autumn  of  the  following  year  became  the  subject  of  anxious 
deliberation,  and  communications  passed  between  the  authorities 
with  a  view  to  an  understanding  as  to  the  manner  of  the  visit. 
There  were  obstacles  to  be  overcome,  or  at  least  there  were 
objections  to  be  removed  in  high  places,  for  such  an  expedition 
had  never  been  undertaken  by  any  personage  in  the  Prince  of 

A* 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

Wales's  position  in  any  period  of  our  history.  Royal  visitors 
India  has  had  and  to  spare.  They  came  upon  her — nameless 
Chiefs  at  the  head  .of  their  invading  hordes — long  ere  Alexander, 
well  knowing  that  there  were  more  worlds  to  conquer  beyond  its 
waters,  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  object  of  his  heart's  desire 
on  the  banks  of  the  Beas.  Timour  and  Baber,  Mahmoud  of 
Ghuznee,  and  Nadir  Shah — these  were  terrible  visitors  indeed. 
Each  represented  the  temporary  overthrow  of  ancient  dynasties, 
invasion,  and  wide-spread  destruction,  or  conquest,  occupation, 
and  the  permanent  establishment  of  foreign  rule.  More  recently 
there  have  been  visitors  of  royal  races  of  a  more  amiable  type. 
Prince  Adalbert  of  Prussia  rode  by  the  side  of  our  victori- 
ous Generals  in  one  of  the  most  famous  of  Indian  battle-fields, 
when  the  supremacy  of  Great  Britain  was  challenged  by  the 
Khalsa.  The  King  of  the  Belgians,  ere  he  was  called  to  the 
throne,  included  part  of  India  in  his  course  of  travel.  The  Duke 
of  Edinburgh,  in  the  course  of  his  interesting  but  rapid  excursion, 
had  some  experience  of  the  honors  which  would  await  the  Heir 
to  the  Throne.  But  the  position  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  not 
only  in  its  relation  to  the  State  at  home  and  to  the  Indian  Govern- 
ment, but  in  its  bearings  on  the  politics  of  Hindoostan,  was 
totally  different  from  that  of  any  previous  visitor.  Never,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Prince  Regent,  had  an  Heir  Apparent  been 
so  much  before  the  public  eye,  and  never  had  any  Prince  of  the 
Blood  in  direct  succession  to  the  throne  been  entrusted  in  the 
lifetime  of  the  reigning  Sovereign  with  so  large  a  part  of  the 
functions  of  Sovereignty.  The  Prince  was,  owing  to  circum- 
stances of  which  no  one  questioned  the  force,  in  such  a  position 
that  it  seemed  scarcely  possible  that  his  absence  from  the  country 
for  half  a  year  and  more  would  not  be  attended  with  serious  incon- 
veniences. Those  who  followed  the  course  of  his  life,  as  it  was 
evolved  from  the  exercise  of  one  public  act  after  another,  best 
understood  how  incessant  had  been  his  labors  in  endeavoring 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  country  for  Royal  sanction  and  per- 
sonal encouragement  of  the  works  of  which  they  are  considered 
the  fitting  complement.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  however,  felt  that 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

it  was  his  "  mission  "  to  go  to  India,  and  he  resolved  to  fulfil  it. 
But  for  the  strong  insistance  of  the  Prince,  the  dream  of  his  life 
might  not  have  been  realized  ;  and  whatever  advantages  may  be 
derived  from  the  tour  must  be  attributed  to  the  power  of  volition 
before  which  obstacles  vanished,  and  to  the  force  of  conviction 
which  defeated  objections  and  overcame  dissuasion.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  January,  1875,  it  was  known  that  the  project  was 
seriously  entertained,  and  soon  afterwards  it  was  spread  abroad 
that  the  visit  would  be  made  in  the  ensuing  autumn.  Long  be- 
fore the  intention  was  communicated  to  the  world  at  large,  pro- 
grammes were  sketched  out  and  plans  were  prepared,  the  Indian 
authorities  were  consulted,  and  the  Residents  at  great  Native 
Courts  had  warning  that  the  Prince  might  soon  appear  among 
them. 

On  the  1 6th  of  March  the  Marquess  of  Salisbury  made  an 
official  announcement  to  the  Council  of  India  of  the  intended 
visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  the  Council  then  passed  a  reso- 
lution that  the  expenses  of  the  journey  should  be  charged  on  the 
revenue  of  India ;  but  at  a  meeting  of  the  Council  on  the  2yth  of 
April,  they  passed  a  further  resolution  that  it  was  only  the  expendi- 
ture which  was  actually  incurred  in  India  which  should  be  charged 
on  the  revenues  of  that  country.  The  "  Times  "  of  Saturday,  March 
2oth,  contained  a  short  paragraph  to  the  effect  that  the  report  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales'  intention  to  visit  India  towards  the  close  of 
the  year  was  true.  This  statement  must  have  appeared  to  those 
in  authority  to  have  been  a  little  too  absolute,  for  on  Monday, 
22cl,  there  appeared  another  paragraph,  inserted  in  the  space 
usually  allotted  to  official  announcements,  as  follows : — "  We 
have  authority  to  state  that  the  report  of  the  intention  of  his 
Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  visit  India  is  well  found- 
ed, and  that  his  Royal  Highness  will  leave  England  for  that  pur- 
pose— should  no  unforeseen  obstacle  arise — in  the  month  of 
November.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  will  accompany  the  Prince  of  Wales 
at  the  express  wish  of  his  Royal  Highness."  A  flood  of  articles 
was  at  once  poured  out  by  the  press.  There  was  a  general  ex- 
pression of  opinion  that  it  was  right  for  the  Prince  to  visit  Hin- 


XU  INTRODUCTION. 

dostan.  India  had  lately  gained  a  new  and  rather  painful  inter- 
est for  the  people  of  England.  The  country,  they  were  told,  had 
just  been  rescued  from  the  jaws  of  famine.  About  that  time  the 
deposition  of  the  Gaekwar  of  Baroda  and  the  inquiry  into  his 
complicity  in  the  attempt  to  poison  Colonel  Phayre,  caused  peo- 
ple who  would  have  been  puzzled  a  short  time  before  to  decide 
whether  the  Gaekwar  was  a  person  or  a  thing,  a  man  or  a  State, 
to  read  about  India.  The  general  relations  of  the  great  feuda- 
tories—  the  Chiefs  of  States  with  Treaty  rights  —  and  of  the 
Crown  were  critically  examined,  and  many  homilies  were  deliver- 
ed on  the  duties  of  Sovereign  States  to  their  dependencies,  and 
on  the  blessings  of  civilization  to  uncivilized  nations.  A  sensa- 
tion of  surprise  was  experienced  by  many  people  at  the  discovery 
that  there  were  Native  States  in  India  which  had  some  sort  of 
autonomy — a  despotism  tempered  by  Residents — and  something 
like  alarm  evinced  when  the  papers  reproduced  from  an  Indian 
journal  a  most  formidable  looking  muster-roll  of  the  "  armies  " 
of  the  Native  Chiefs,  with  their  many  thousands  of  horse,  foot, 
and  cannon. 

The  common  "  Aryanismus  "  of  the  races  was,  however,  much 
urged  on  the  notice  of  the  world  as  a  reason  for  mutual  relations. 
It  was  pointed  out  that  the  Hindoo  and  his  master  were  after  all 
made  of  the  same  clay,  that  "  Blacks  were  not  so  black — nor 
Whites  so  very  white."  It  may  be  quite  true  that  at  some  period, 
which  conjecture  cannot  aspire  to  reach,  Central  Asia,  the  sceva 
mater  of  nations,  poured  forth  the  hordes  which  peopled  Europe 
and  Hindostan  alike,  though  it  is  as  difficult  to  persuade  the 
Englishman  of  to-day  that  the  Hindoo  is  his  brother  as  it  was 
to  impress  <?.n  the  average  Englishman  of  the  early  part  and 
middle  of  the  last  century  that  the  Negro  was  a  brother,  or  that 
he  was  a  man  at  all. 

"  An  immense  respect  (wrote  the  *  Times  '  on  23d  March) 
is  due  from  the  conquerors  of  India  to  the  venerable  kingdoms, 
institutions,  and  traditions  of  which  they  have  become  the  politi- 
cal heirs,  and  an  adequate  manifestation  of  this  feeling  has 
always  been  one  of  the  great  wants  of  our  Indian  administration. 


INTRODUCTION.  Xlll 

Changes  of  dynasty  are  the  lot  of  all  nations,  but  the  English 
dominion  must  in  some  respects  have  represented  this  revolution 
in  a  peculiarly  unpalatable  form  to  a  people  with  whom  the 
hereditary  principle  is  not  a  secondary  but  a  primary  nature.  The 
rule  of  strangers,  who  to  their  eyes  carry  no  hereditary  dignity, 
could  not  fail  to  be  especially  distasteful."  These  are  sentiments 
which  many  Indians  feel ;  but  the  policy  of  the  Prince's  visit 
was  eventually  justified  by  the  impression  produced  by  his  pres- 
ence. There  were  not  wanting  some  who  predicted  greater 
benefits  than  could  reasonably  have  been  expected  from  it ;  nor 
were  others  who  asserted  that  the  difficulties  of  the  Government 
of  India  would  be  increased,  by  the  paling  of  their  splendors, 
left  voiceless.  Hitherto  they  would  appear  to  have  been  false 
prophets. 

The  final  step  was  taken.  There  were  reasons  which  would 
always  justify  uneasiness  at  the  protracted  absence  of  the  Heir 
to  the  Throne  from  the  United  Kingdom ;  but  there  were  also 
reasons  which  rendered  it  highly  desirable  he  should  visit  that 
portion  of  the  Empire,  in  right  of  which  the  Crown  is  Imperial. 
If  there  was  a  feeling  that  there  would  be  a  void  in  society  and 
in  all  the  great  functions  over  which  Royalty  usually  presides 
while  he  was  away,  it  was  felt,  too,  that  his  Royal  Highness  had 
earned  his  right  to  such  repose,  and  that  he  was-  entitled  to  a 
little  respite  from  ceremonial  observances.  The  effects  of  the 
protracted,  and  all  but  mortal,  illness  which  brought  the  nation, 
as  it  were,  to  the  doors  of  Sandringham,  rendered  it  expedient 
that  the  Prince  should  not  be  exposed  to  another  winter  in 
England  if  it  could  be  avoided.  The  anticipations  of  repose 
were  scarcely  justified,  for  there  was  but  little  cessation  of  work 
in  India ;  but  the  strength  and  energy  which  the  Prince  display- 
ed proved  that  his  medical  advisers  had  judged  rightly  of  the 
beneficial  effects  of  escape  from  an  English  winter. 

It  was  now  necessary  to  provide  the  Prince  with  a  fol- 
lowing suitable  to  one  who  would  be  regarded  by  princes 
and  people  as  an  Imperial  Ambassador  of  a  rank  and  dignity 
towering  far  above  the  highest  of  their  ancient  dynasties.  But 


XIV  INTRODUCTION. 

those  who  imagined  that  the  presence  of  the  greatest  statesman 
or  noble  would  lend  additional  dignity  or  importance  to  the 
Heir  Apparent's  avatar,  could  not  have  understood  how  very 
ignorant  and  indifferent  most  of  the  Chiefs  and  the  masses  of 
the  people  are  to  what  pass  in  Great  Britain  as  matters  of  deep- 
est gravity.  The  more  intelligent  natives  are  acquainted  with 
the  names  and  views  of  those  who  deal  with  Indian  topics  in 
Parliament ;  but  the  Resident,  the  Collector,  and  the  Magistrate 
represent  to  them  the  whole  force — they  certainly  do  not  always 
represent  the  splendor — of  the  State.  The  Duke  of  Sutherland's 
name,  known  so  widely  in  Great  Britain,  had  reached  the  ears 
of  comparatively  few  in  India.  On  the  other  hand,  the  name  of 
Sir  Bartle  Frere,  which  only  became  familiar  to  all  people  at 
home  after  his  successful  mission  to  Zanzibar,  was  a  household 
word  with  millions  of  people  in  Bombay  and  in  the  north-west  of 
India.  In  the  early  part  of  1875  tne  latter  was  informed  that 
the  Prince  of  Wales  wished  to  have  the  benefits  of  his  experience 
during  the  Expedition  ;  and  about  the  same  time,  or  somewhat 
earlier,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  received  an  invitation  to  form 
one  of  the  suite  to  which  his  rank  gave  such  weight.  Lord  Suf- 
field,  the  head  of  the  Prince's  Household,  was  naturally  selected 
to  accompany  his  Royal  master  ;  Colonel  Ellis,  Equerry  to  the 
Prince,  who  had  served  in  India,  was  also  nominated,  and  was 
charged  with  most  delicate  and  difficult  functions  in  administer- 
ing, in  conjunction  with  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  the  affairs  of  finance 
and  presents.  Major-General  Probyn,  whose  confidence  in  the 
success  of  the  visit,  which  he  strenuously  advised,  was  strong 
from  the  beginning,  was  engaged  in  making  arrangements  for 
horses,  transport,  and  sporting  at  an  early  period  of  the  year. 
Mr.  Francis  Knollys,  the  Prince's  Private  Secretary,  completed 
the  list  of  selections  from  members  of  the  Royal  Household.  A 
valued  servant  of  the  Queen,  Lord  Alfred  Paget,  Clerk  Marshal, 
who  had  known  the  Prince  from  his  earliest  childhood,  unde- 
terred by  any  consideration  respecting  the  possible  influences  of 
an  Indian  climate  on  a  frame  which,  despite  robust  health,  had 
lost  the  resisting  forces  of  youth,  was  desirous  to  accompany  one 


INTRODUCTION.  XV 

to  whom  he  was  so  much  attached,  and  his  desires  were  gratified. 
The  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth  was  selected  as  Chaplain  to  the 
Prince,  and  Dr.  Fayrer  was  entrusted  with  the  onerous  and  respon- 
sible duty  of  watching  over  the  Prince's  health.  The  Earl  of  Ayles- 
forcl,  Lord  Carington,  and  Colonel  Owen  Williams,  personal 
friends,  were  invited  to  join  the  party.  Lieutenant  Lord  Charles 
Beresford,  who  had  accompanied  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  in  his 
Indian  tour,  lent  his  unflagging  gayety,  his  practical  knowledge 
and  professional  experience,  to  the  Royal  suite,  which  received 
another  agreeable  accession  in  the  person  of  Lieutenant  Fitz- 
George,  of  the  Rifle  Brigade.  Mr.  S.  P.  Hall,  whose  sympa- 
thetic and  skilful  pencil  had  gained  him  high  reputation,  re- 
ceived a  commission  to  sketch  the  incidents  of  the  tour.  Mr. 
Albert  Grey,  Private  Secretary  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere  ;  and  the 
writer  of  this  record,  temporarily  attached  as  Hon.  Private 
Secretary  to  the  Prince,  completed  the  list  of  those  who  formed 
the  suite  of  his  Royal  Highness. 

There  was  but  one  cloud  resting  on  the  horizon  to  which  all 
eyes  were  turned.  Those  concerned  in  the  government  of  the 
State,  responsible  to  the  country  for  the  trust  on  which  so  much 
depended,  could  not  but  perceive  the  objections  to  the  absence 
of  the  Princess  of  Wales  from  her  children  ;  and  it  was  equally 
obvious  that  at  would  be  most  unwise  to  expose  them  to  the 
climate  of  India  at  the  time  of  life  when  it  is  most  dangerous. 
It  may  well  be  conceived  how  painful  it  was  to  know  that  a 
separation,  which  would  cause  so  much  grief  to  her  Royal  High- 
ness the  Princess  of  Wales,  was  drawing  near  at  hand. 

When  the  map  of  India  was  laid  on  the  table,  immediately 
there  came  to  the  surface  the  difficulty  of  getting  many  places 
within  the  limits  of  the  time  which  the  prince  could  devote  to  his 
visit.  In  a  general  way,  the  limits  of  his^Royal  Highness's  tour 
in  India  were  marked  by  thermometer.  Dr.  Fayrer  was  very 
decided  in  putting  the  beginning  of  November  as  the  earliest 
date  at  which  the  Prince  should  arrive,  and  in  fixing  on  the 
early  weeks  of  March  as  the  latest  period  at  which  he  ought  to 
attempt  to  come  home  through  the  Red  Sea.  There  were  cer- 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

tain  broad  lines  to  be  followed ;  but  a  line  ends  in  points,  and 
at  the  outset  there  was  some  hesitation  in  determining  whether 
it  would  be  better  to  begin  at  Calcutta  or  at  Bombay.  The 
claims  of  Cashmere  and  of  Ceylon  seemed  to  clash.  The  passes 
into  Cashmere  are  not  open  till  the  hot  weather  has  begun  in 
the  plains,  and  it  was  of  the  first  necessity  that  the  Prince  should 
not  be  exposed  to  long  journeys  at  unhealthy  seasons,  and  to 
rapid  transitions  from  cold  to  heat.  Several  attempts  were  made 
to  divert  the  Prince  from  his  purpose  of  visiting  Ceylon,  but  he 
was  inexorable  as  well  as  penetrating  ;  and  it  is  said  that  once, 
at  one  little  "  Indian  Council  "  at  Marlborough  House,  there 
was  a  map  produced  in  which  Ceylon  did  not  appear,  when  the 
routes  were  being  laid  down  and  discussed,  but  that  a  Royal 
demand,  "Where  is  Ceylon  ?  "  rendered  the  stratagem,  if  such 
it  were,  of  no  avail.  The  trip  to  Cashmere  assumed  an  uncer- 
tain aspect ;  that  to  the  Deccan  was,  for  several  reasons,  doubt- 
ful ;  but  to  Ceylon  the  Prince  adhered  with  invincible  firmness, 
undeterred  by  "  sanitary  considerations  "  and  medical  reports, 
which,  sooth  to  say,  were  damaged  in  their  authority  by  the  very 
opposite  opinions  of  the  cognoscenti.  As  early  as  the  third  week 
in  May,  the  routes  of  the  Prince  were  laid  down  from  the  iyth 
of  October,  on  which  day  he  was  to  set  out  on  his  voyage,  to  the 
date  of  his  arrival  in  Calcutta,  before  Christmas  Day.  Already 
the  Residents  at  the  Native  Courts  were  enabled  to  convey  most 
satisfactory  intelligence  respecting  the  manner  in  which  the 
Princes  had  received  the  announcement  that  the  Prince  would 
visit  India;  and  the  demands  made  for  his  Royal  Highness' 
presence  a  few  days  here  and  a  week  there,  urged  with  the  most 
perfect  conviction,  could  not  have  been  satisfied  in  a  twelve- 
month. Already  requests  were  made  from  India  that  there 
should  be  no  further  delay  in  buying  horses  for  the  Prince  and 
his  suite ;  and  it  was  suggested  that  an  officer  of  the  rank  of 
Major- General,  with  a  proper  Staff,  should  be  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  carriage  and  transport  department.  At  the  period  of 
which  I  speak,  the  Government  had  given  no  intimation  of  their 
intentions  as  to  money;  and  if  the  Prince  was  to  start  in  October, 


INTRODUCTION.  XV11 

there  was  not  much  time  to  order  carriages  and  gifts  of  honor  ; 
but  until  the  money  had  been  voted,  it  would  have  been  impos- 
sible to  have  laid  down  any  precise  scheme  of  expenditure.  The 
preliminary  arrangements  were,  however,  advanced  as  far  as  was 
practicable.  It  was  decided  that  the  presents  should  be  placed  in 
the  charge  of  a  special  Staff  from  the  India  Office  ;  that  gold 
and  silver  medals  should  be  struck  for  presentation  to  the  Chiefs  ; 
and  it  was  further  understood  that  the  Queen  would  issue  a  war- 
rant to  authorize  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  hold  a  special  Chapter 
of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India  at  Calcutta. 

The  interest  which  was  taken  in  the  visit  increased  as  the 
country  had  time  to  reflect  upon  the  subject.  Articles  in  the 
press,  and  communications  between  the  authorities  in  India  and 
at  home,  increased  in  number  and  importance.  Whatever  might 
be  the  wishes  of  the  Government,  it  was  plain  that  the  Prince 
could  not  be  other  than  paramount  when  in  India  ;  and  it  was 
therefore  matter  of  consideration  that  his  exalted  position  should 
not  cause  that  of  the  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  to  be  unduly 
depreciated.  It  may  now  be  asserted  that  the  apprehensions 
which  were  entertained  on  that  ground  had  no  solidity.  Even  if 
the  brightness  of  the  Viceregal  luminary  had  been  subjected  to 
temporary  eclipse,  it  is  evident  that  there  could  have  been  no 
permanent  diminution  of  it  after  the  Prince's  transit,  and  that  as 
long  as  the  transit  was  occurring,  no  official  measures  could  have 
prevented  some  little  dimming  of  the  splendor  of  the  official  sun. 

On  the  1 5th  of  April  Mr.  Hankey  put  a  question  to  the  Gov- 
ernment. He  asked  "  whether  it  was  intended,  in  the  event  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales  visiting  India,  to  propose  to  Parliament  to 
make  such  provision  as  would  enable  his  Royal  Highness  to 
discharge  such  duties  as  might  be  considered  befitting  his  position 
as  the  representative  of  Her  Majesty  with  becoming  dignity  ? " 
Mr.  Disraeli's  reply  evinced  a  certain  dislike  to  any  early  an- 
nouncement of  the  intentions  of  the  Government ;  he  would  not 
even  admit  that  the  Prince  was  going  to  India  at  all,  and  de- 
scribed the  question  as  "  hypothetical."  He  apprehended,  he 
said,  that,  in  the  event  of  the  Prince  visiting  India,  he  would  not 

B 


XV111  INTRODUCTION. 

visit  it  as  the  representative  of  the  Queen.  The  Viceroy  would 
continue  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  that  office.  But  he  might  say 
generally,  that  if  the  Government  had  to  make  any  public  com- 
munication on  the  subject  the  House  of  Commons  would  be  the 
first  body  in  the  country  to  which  that  communication  would  be 
made. 

Doubtless,  on  grounds  which  commended  themselves  to 
official  prudence,  Mr.  Disraeli  refused  to  acknowledge  that  there 
would  be  any  demand  made  on  the  Exchequer,  even  as  late  as 
the  3d  of  June.  Replying  on  that  day  to  Mr.  Leith,  who  asked 
"  whether  the  expenses  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  would  be  charged 
to  the  Imperial  or  to  the  Indian  Exchequer  ?  "  the  Prime  Minister 
protested  against  honorable  members  "  assuming  that  there  was 
to  be  a  grant  of  public  money  proposed,  and  on  that  assumption 
asking  questions  "  which  should  be  reserved  till  such  a  proposal 
was  made.  On  the  5th  of  July,  however,  Mr.  Disraeli  gave 
notice  that  he  would  the  week  following  make  a  statement  on 
the  House  going  into  Committee  of  Supply  respecting  the  visit 
of  the  Prince  to  India,  and  that  he  would  submit  an  estimate  of 
expenditure.  On  the  8th  of  July  the  Premier  made  the  promised 
statement  to  a  full  House,  and  succeeded  in  attracting  the  sym- 
pathies of  his  audience  in  no  ordinary  degree  to  the  objects  of 
the  Prince's  intended  journey  ;  but  in  the  phraseology  of  the 
Minister  there  might  be  detected  a  sense  of  the  responsibility 
which  rested  on  these  who  had  any  share  in  sanctioning  the  en- 
terprise. He  alluded  to  the  previous  travels  of  the  Prince  in 
various  parts  of  the  Queen's  dominions,  and  drawing  a  distinc- 
tion between  what  was  best  suited  to  those  who  were,  and  to 
those  who  were  not,  Royal  personages,  observed  that  though  he 
could  not  say  that  travel  was  the  best  education,  he  would  ven- 
ture to  assert  that  travel  was  the  best  education  for  Princes. 
But  the  visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  India  would  be,  he  said, 
unlike  his  previous  travels.  The  rules  and  regulations  which 
sufficed  for  the  Prince  in  Canada  and  in  the  Colonies  would  not 
be  adapted  for  India.  One  remarkable  feature  of  Oriental  man- 
ners was  the  exchange  of  presents  between  visitors  and  their 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

hosts.  The  Viceroy  thought  that  ceremonial  presents  need  not 
be  given  or  received,  but  it  was  necessary  to  place  the  Prince  in 
a  position  in  which  he  could  exercise  the  spontaneous  feelings 
of  generosity  and  splendor  which  belonged  to  his  character.  It 
was  also  necessary  to  gratify  the  'feelings  of  the  Native  Princes. 
The  ordinary  rule  was  that  the  presents  made  by  Native  Chiefs 
was  sold,  and  the  amount  carried  to  the  credit  of  Government, 
which  made  presents  of  corresponding  value  to  the  donors ;  but 
it  was  evident  that,  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  such  a  course  would  be  undignified  and  distasteful.  The 
Prince  would  be  the  guest  of  the  Viceroy  from  the  moment  he 
landed  on  Indian  soil.  That  was  the  strongly-expressed  opinion 
and  wish  of  the  Viceroy,  who  highly  approved  of  the  visit,  and 
believed  it  would  be  attended  with  great  benefit  to  India  and  to 
this  country.  The  expense  of  that  part  of  the  reception  would 
not  be  considerable,  for  it  would  be  confined  to  the  rites  of  hos- 
pitality, and  the  sum  of  3o,ooo/.  had  been  mentioned  casually  as 
the  amount  which  might  be  charged  against  the  Indian  Budget 
on  that  head.  The  estimate  of  the  Admiralty  for  the  expenses 
of  the  voyage  to  and  from  India,  and  of  the  movements  of  the 
fleet  in  connection  with  it,  came  to  52,0007.  With  respect  to 
other  charges,  Mr.  Disraeli  pointed  out  that  the  Prince  did  not 
go  to  India  as  "  the  representative  of  the  Queen,"  but  as  "  the 
Heir  Apparent  of  the  Crown."  Without  interfering  in  any  way 
with  the  legal  and  constitutional  character  of  the  Viceroy,  the 
Prince  would  nevertheless  be  placed  in  a  position  which  would 
impress  the  mind  of  India  with  a  sense  of  his  real  dignity  and 
importance.  To  meet  the  personal  expenses  of  his  visit,  it  was 
proposed  to  move  a  vote  for  a  sum  of  6o,ooo/.  in  the  next  Com- 
mittee of  Supply. 

This  announcement,  of  the  intentions  of  Government  was 
almost  disappointing  to  the  country.  '  Letters,  in  which  the  im- 
policy of  a  stinted  allowance  was  demonstrated,  and  strong  rea- 
sons were  adduced  for  the  asseration  that  the  sum  of  6o,ooo/. 
would  not  suffice  for  the  legitimate  and  becoming  expenditure  of 
the  Prince,  appeared  in  the  public  papers.  The  distinction  be- 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

tween  the  appearance  of  the  Prince  in  India  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Queen  and  as  the  Heir  to  the  Throne  might  have 
been  understood  by  the  House  of  Commons,  or  by  logical  minds 
in  Europe,  but  it  was  one  which,  as  events  proved,  the  natives 
of  India  could  not  appreciate.  When  the  resolution  was  brought 
forward  in  Committee  of  Supply,  on  the  i5th  of  July,  Mr.  Faw- 
cett  considered  it  necessary  to  raise  a  discussion  which  was 
much  to  be  regretted.  He  moved,  as  an  amendment,  "  that  it 
was  inexpedient  that  any  part  of  the  expenses  of  the  general 
entertainment  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  should  be  charged  on  the 
revenues  of  India."  Mr.  Fawcett's  objections  to  the  vote  were 
founded  partly  on  sentimental,  partly  on  abstract  politico- 
economical  reasonings.  He  pointed  out  instances  in  which 
India  had  been  charged  with  expenses  for  entertainment  of  an 
Imperial  character  with  which  India  had  nothing  to  do — such 
as  the  Ball  to  the  Sultan,  the  visit  of  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh, the  carriage  of  Royal  presents  to  England,  the  fee  of 
4oo/.  paid  to  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Westminster  for  the 
erection  of  the  monument  to  Sir  Herbert  Edwardes — and  in- 
troduced other  matters  which  might  have  been  appropriate 
in  a  general  discussion  on  the  distribution  of  taxation  and 
expenditure,  but  which  had  no  bearing  on  the  Prince's 
tour.  The  honesty  of  purpose  of.  Mr.  Fawcett  and  the  value 
to  India  of  his  laborious  advocacy  cannot  be  doubted,  and  there 
may  be  need  of  both,  especially  in  a  body  which  is  dealing 
with  the  resources  of  a  country  in  which  the  principle  that 
taxation  and  representation  go  together  has  no  existence.  The 
debate  which  ensued  was  interesting  and  animated,  but  the  great 
weight  of  authority  was  against  Mr.  Fawcett,  and  he  was  not 
supported  by  the  leaders  of  the  various  sections  of  the  Opposi- 
tion. The  Liberal  party,  or  the  Whig  section  of  it,  certainly 
seemed  rather  disposed  to  attack  the  Government  on  the  ground 
that  their  proposal  was  illiberal  and  parsimonious,  and  there  was 
some  talk  of  an  amendment  in  quite  a  different  sense  from  that 
of  Mr.  Fawcett.  Lord  Hartington  was  known  to  have  expressed 
most  generous  views  as  to  the  Royal  allowance,  and  there  is  no 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 

doubt  that  had  a  quarter  of  a  million  been  asked  it  would  have 
been  granted — a  much  larger  sum,  indeed,  was  named  aut  of 
doors  for  the  probable  expenditure,  and  there  were  people  who 
went  about  deploring  the  fate  of  the  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, who  would  certainly  be  called  upon  for  500,0007.  or 
750, ooo/.  for  the  Indian  tour.  In  a  house  of  446  members 
Mr.  Fawcett  found  only  32  to  agree  with  him  in  the  view  that 
India  should  not  contribute  to  the  expenses  of  the  tour.  It  may 
be  very  fairly  asserted,  however,  after  the  experience  of  the  great 
interest  which  the  Prince's  presence  created,  that  if  the  people 
of  India  had  enjoyed  the  franchise  they  would  have  disapproved 
of  the  conduct  of  any  representative  who  objected  to  a  contribu- 
tion to  his  Royal  Highness'  expenses  from  the  Indian  exche- 
quer. It  is  not  easy  to  comprehend  the  exact  nature  of  the 
reasons  which  led  Mr.  Disraeli  to  insist  on  the  necessity  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  being  the  "guest"  of  the  "Viceroy"  in  the  face 
of  the  fact  that  he  was  moving  the  House  of  Commons  to  make 
adequate  provision  for  the  extra  expenditure  which  would  be 
necessitated  by  the  visit,  and  that  he  was  expressly  intimating 
that  the  cost  of  the  Prince's  entertainment  in  India  would  be 
borne  by  the  Indian  Budget.  He,  however,  pressed  the  point 
with  energy,  and  drew  a  vivid  picture  of  the  extraordinary  pomp 
and  circumstance  which  would  necessarily  surround  the  Prince 
if  he  were  to  go  as  the  representative  of  the  Queen.  He 
would  have  to  exchange  the  presents  of  Europe  for  presents  of 
Ormus  and  of  Ind.  He  would  have  to  hold  Durbars,  to  travel 
with  Princes  in  his  train.  He  would  not  only  be  present  at 
feasts — he  would  preside  at  festivals."  Now  all  these  things  the 
Prince  did  in  his  non-representative  capacity.  The  Prince  ex- 
changed the  presents  of  Europe  for  the  presents  of  Ind,  and  per- 
haps for  some  which  might  have  come  via  "  Ormus  ;"  he  held 
Durbars,  he  was  attended  by  Princes,  he  presided  at  festivals, 
and  yet  he  did  it  all  for  less  than  the  sum  which  Parliament 
granted,  under  a  sort  of  protest  from  Lord  Hartington,  strength- 
ened by  many  expressions  of  opinion  in  and  out  of  the  House, 
on  account  of  its  inadequacy.  The  "  Times  "  next  day  wrote, 


XX11  INTRODUCTION. 

what  every  one  said  and  felt  to  be  the  truth — "  The  Prince  must 
exercise  extraordinary  powers  of  management  if  Mr.  Disraeli 
has  not  to  ask  for  a  supplementary  estimate  next  year."  Not 
only  was  the  sum  not  exceeded,  but  there  was  a  small  surplus ; 
not  only  was  it  not  necessary  to  propose  a  supplementary  grant, 
but  it  was  the  pleasing  duty  of  the  Minister,  after  a  careful  audit 
of  the  accounts  had  been  made,  to  report  that  there  still  remain- 
ed some  money,  which  it  was  proposed  to  leave  at  the  Prince's 
disposal  with  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  House.  It  is  only 
just  to  state  that  at  all  the  Courts  where  the  Royal  visitor  was 
welcomed  there  was  no  lack  of  souvenirs  and  no  stint  of  prince- 
ly largesse,  and  avoiding  any  odious  comparisons,  that  the  pres- 
ents made  in  India,  if  necessarily  wanting  in  the  infinite  variety 
of  form  and  diversity  of  nature  which  were  exhibited  in  the  gifts 
of  the  Native  Chiefs,  were  of  great  substantial  value  and  of 
beautiful  workmanship. 

As  to  the  tour  itself,  those  who  read  the  following  pages  will 
see  the  force  of  the  metaphor  of  Bacon,  that  "  Princes  are  like 
to  heavenly  bodies,  which  cause  good  or  evil  times,  and  which 
have  much  veneration,  but  no  rest."  According  to  all  testimony, 
there  has  been  no  evil  but  much  good  caused  by  the  visit  among 
the  princes  and  people  of  Hindostan,  and  it  would  be  unjust  to 
attach  to  it  any  consequences  which  may  result  from  acts  sup- 
posed to  be  justified  by  the  enthusiasm  with  which  the  Prince 
was  received,  or  to  be  called  for  by  State  and  policy  conveni- 
ence. The  famine  which  ib  now  ravaging  so  much  of  the  land 
which  the  Royal  traveller  saw  wreathed  with  smiles  and  decked 
in  gala  attire,  would  have  occurred  whether  he  had  gone  or  not ; 
but  the  suffering  people  have  now  the  consolation  of  knowing 
that  they  have  secured  the  active  sympathy  of  a  powerful  friend ; 
and  the  Native  Chiefs,  and  those  whom  they  rule,  under  the  pro- 
tection and  supreme  sway  of  the  Paramount  Power,  have  the 
assurance  that  the  attention  of  their  fellow-subjects  at  home  has 
been  directed  to  their  condition  with  a  keener  interest,  and  with 
a  determination  that  they  shall  be  ruled  in  righteousness  and 
justice. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXI 11 


FROM  LONDON  TO  BRINDISI. 
L'ENVOI. 

THIS  narrative  of  the  Prince  of  Wales'  tour,  as  far  as  my  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  it  is  concerned,  must  begin  at  Brindisi,  as  it 
was  there  that  the  two  divisions  of  the  Royal  suite  were  united. 
The  Queen  was  at  Balmoral  Castle  at  the  time  of  the  Prince's  de- 
parture from  London,  which  took  place  on  Monday,  October  nth, 
some  days  earlier  than  the  date  which  had  been  determined  upon 
in  the  early  programmes.  On  Sunday,  October  10,  the  Prince  and 
Princess  attended  Divine  Service  in  the  Chapel  Royal.  They 
received  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught  at 
luncheon.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  farewell  dinner  at  Marl- 
borough  House,  to  which  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family  then 
in  London,  and  a  few  personal  friends,  were  invited.  In  the 
forenoon,  Dean  Stanley  preached  an  eloquent  sermon  in  West- 
minster Abbey  (the  text  taken  from  Esther  i.,  viii.  6),  in 
which  he  expatiated  on  the  journey  "of  the  first  Heir  to  the 
English  Throne  who  has  ever  visited  those  distant  regions, 
which  the  greatest  of  his  ancestors,  Alfred  the  Great,  one  thou- 
sand years  ago,  so  ardently  longed  to  explore."  He  concluded 
with  an  earnest  prayer  that  the  visit  might  leave  behind  it,  on 
one  side,  "  the  remembrance,  if  so  be,  of  graceful  acts,  kind 
words,  English  nobleness,  Christian  principle  ;  and  on  the  other, 
awaken  in  all  concerned  the  sense  of  graver  duties,  wider  sym- 
pathies, loftier  purposes.  Thus,  and  thus  only,  shall  the  journey 
on  which  the  Church  and  nation  now  pronounce  its  parting 
benediction  be  worthy  of  a  Christian  Empire,  and  worthy 
of  an  English  Prince."  The  circumstances  under  which  the 
Prince  of  Wales  was  about  to  visit  India,  and  those  under  which 
Alfred  the  Great  desired  to  open  commercial  relations  with  it 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

(there  is  scarcely  any  ground  for  stating  that  he  ever  contem- 
plated a  visit  or  longed  to  go  to  India)  differed  very  considera- 
bly ;  but  a  study  of  the  old  travellers'  stories  leads  one  to  think 
that,  given  the  means  of  locomotion  and  time,  it  was  not  so  very 
difficult  to  reach  "  Cathay  and  Ind"  in  remote  times  as  it  might 
be  supposed  to  be  from  later  narratives. 

The  chronicles  of  the  day  relate  how  deep  an  interest  ua^ 
taken  by  the  public  in  the  arrangements  for  this  enterprising 
journey.  On  Monday  all  the  morning  and  evening  papers 
published  leading  articles,  in  which  the  warmest  aspirations,  not 
quite  free  from  uneasiness,  on  account  of  "  considerations  which 
should  quicken  caution,  though  they  need  scarcely  cause  anxiety," 
were  expressed  for  the  Prince's  happiness  and  safe  return."  The 
life  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,"  observed  the  leading  journal,  "  is 
a  very  precious  one  ;  how  precious,  indeed,  in  the  judgment  of 
the  country,  the  national  anxiety  in  the  autumn  of  1871  indis- 
putably showed  ;  and  his  welfare  is  dear  to  us  all."  The  great 
crowd  which  assembled  on  the  evening  of  October  nth  to  bid 
him  "  God  speed,"  at  Charing  Cross  Station  an  hour  before  the 
departure  of  the  special  train,  afforded  ample  testimony  to  the 
truth  of  these  words. 

There  was,  of  course,  a  Royal  Guard  of  Honor  on  the  plat- 
form ;  but  there  was  also  a  gathering  of  friends,  for  whom  the 
station  was  all  too  small.  When  the  Prince  and  Princess  made 
their  appearance,  and  walked  slowly  down  the  platform  towards 
the  train,  between  the  line  of  soldiery  and  the  great  concourse 
of  people,  there  was  a  demonstration,  in  which  it  would  be  hard 
to  say  whether  a  feeling  of  sadness  at  the  Prince's  departure  and 
at  his  wife's  emotion,  or  the  desire  to  assure  the  Royal  couple  of 
enduring  and  affectionate  loyalty,  predominated.  Cheers  and 
waving  of  handkerchiefs — moistened  eyes,  quivering  lips — and 
many  an  audible  "  God  bless  you  !  "  At  8  o'clock  p.  M.  the  train 
glided  out  of  the  station.  The  memorable  journey  had  fairly 
begun.  At  9.20  P.  M.  the  train  stopped  at  Ashford,  where  the 
Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught  bade  the  Prince 
of  Wales  adieu.  At  9.53  P.  M.  the  train  reached  Dover,  where 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

6000  or  7000  people  had  assembled  along  the  approaches  to  the 
Admiralty  Pier.  All  the  naval,  military,  and  civil  authorities 
were  in  waiting  to  receive  the  Royal  travellers.  There  was  a 
Guard  of  Honor  of  the  io4th  Regiment,  a  detachment  of  the 
;8th  Highlanders  lined  the  pier  platforms.  The  weather  had 
been  very  rough  for  some  days  and  nights  previously,  but  wind 
and  sea  had  obsequiously  gone  down,  and  there  was  every  promise 
that  no  severe  test  would  be  applied  to  the  qualities  of  the  Cas- 
talia,  which  had  been  engaged  for  the  passage.  As  the  train 
stopped  opposite  the  steamer,  her  bulwarks  were  lighted  up  by 
red  and  blue  lights,  which  cast  a  strong  glare  on  the  anxious 
faces  of  the  great  crowd,  and  as  the  Prince  and  Princess  stepped 
on  board  the  steamer  there  was  an  outburst  of  cheering,  renew- 
ed again  and  again  with  genuine  enthusiasm.  The  Trinity  House 
tender  and  other  vessels  in  harbor  lighted  up  sides  and  rigging. 
The  Mayor  and  Corporation  of  Dover  repaired  on  board  to 
present  an  address,  which  was  "  taken  as  read,"  and  for  which 
the  Prince  said  he  was  "much  obliged."  Then,  at  10.10  P.  M., 
three  rockets  gave  the  signal  for  departure.  As  the  Castalia 
moved  from  the  pier  there  was  a  clamor  of  valedictory  voices, 
which  followed  her  far  out  into  the  night.  In  two  hours  she  ar- 
rived at  Calais.  Here  was  the  saddest  moment  of  the  many 
which  had  been  casting  their  solemn  influence  over  the  day.  The 
Princess  of  Wales  was  not  going  on  shore,  but  had  resolved  to 
stay  on  board,  and  return  to  England  in  the  early  morning.  The 
train  was  to  start  at  1.50  A.M.,  so  that  there  was  short  space  left. 
The  grief  of  that  hour  can  now  be  regarded  as  a  sorrow  that  has 
past,  through  the  light  of  the  happy  meeting  this  year.  At  2  A.  M., 
October  i2th,  the  train  left  the  Calais  station,  and  arrived  at  the 
terminus  of  the  Northern  Railway  in  Paris  at  7.20  A.  M.  It  so 
happened  that  the  President,  Marshal  MacMahon,  and  a  few 
gentlemen  were  there  at  the  time,  waiting  for  a  train  to  take  them 
to  a  shooting  party.  The  Prince  was  welcomed  by  the  Marshal 
and  his  suite  with  great  cordiality  and  respect.  He  was  received 
by  Lord  Lyons,  who  was  in  attendance  with  the  members  of  the 
British  Embassy.  Entering  his  lordship's  carriage  the  Prince 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION. 

drove  to  the  Hotel  Bristol,  where  he  received  numerous  visitors ; 
but  it  was  officially  understood  that  his  Royal  Highness  wished 
to  be  incognito  in  Paris.  He  dined  at  the  British  Embassy  that 
evening.  Next  day,  October  i3th,  the  Prince  visited  Marshal 
MacMahon,  and  lunched  with  him  at  the  Elysee.  He  subsequently 
received  a  return  visit  from  the  Marshal.  At  8.40  p.  M.  his  Royal 
Highness  and  suite  left  by  the  ordinary  train  for  Turin,  which 
they  reached  at  7  P.  M.  next  evening,  i4th  October.  Resting  at 
Turin  for  the  night,  the  Prince  continued  his  journey  at  9.40  A.  M. 
next  morning,  reached  Bologna  at  5  P.M.,  October  i5th,  and  after 
a  halt  of  an  hour  and  a  quarter,  went  on  in  the  ordinary  train, 
which  was  provided  with  Royal  saloon  carnages,  to  Ancona, 
where  he  got  out  for  a  few  minutes  to  receive  the  expression  of 
the  good-wishes  of  a  small  gathering  of  English  people  who  had 
been  waiting  on  the  platform  to  bid  him  "God  speed  !  "  Although 
the  Prince  was  incognito,  he  could  not  escape  official  recognition, 
and  he  had  been  the  unwilling  object  of  every  kind  of  attention 
throughout  his  journey ;  and  so  it  was  that  as  the  special  train 
flew  along  through  the  night  to  Brindisi,  the  travellers,  whenever 
they  woke  up  and  looked  out,  were  aware  of  the  presentment 
of  prefects  and  sub-prefects  in  black  coats  and  while  cravats, 
of  officers,  guards  of  honor,  crowds  of  people,  and  blazing  lights 
on  the  station  platforms. 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  overland  journey  through  France 
and  Italy  of  so  large  a  party  with  great  quantities  of  baggage 
and  many  personal  attendants,  Lord  Alfred  Paget,  Lord  Caring- 
ton,  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  Colonel  Owen  Williams,  Major-General 
Probyn,  the  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth,  Mr.  Albert  Grey,  the  wri- 
ter of  this  record,  and  a  detachment  of  the  Royal  servants,  pre- 
ceded his  Royal  Highness,  and  left  London,  some  on  Saturday 
evening,  October  gth,  and  others  on  the  day  following,  for  Paris, 
where  they  remained  till  Tuesday,  October  i3th,  when  they  start- 
ed for  Brindisi,  which  they  reached  on  the  i6th  of  October.  The 
1 4th  of  October  was  passed  in  Bologna,  but  the  day's  repose,  such 
as  it  was — for  there  was  very  much  seeing  of  sights  to  be  done — 
had  its  small  grief  to  follow.  It  was  necessary  to  arrive  a  clear 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV11 

twelve  hours  before  the  Prince  ;  and  at  1.30  A.M.,  October  15111,  the 
whole  of  the  first  division,  instead  of  being  fast  asleep,  were  under 
arms  in  the  breakfast-room  of  the  hotel,  waiting  till  Groot,  the  ex- 
cellent courier  "  in  charge,"  had  vanquished  the  difficulties  con- 
nected with  sleepy  waiters,  porters,  bills,  and  the  transport  depart- 
ment, and  gave  the  word  that  we  had  only  to  descend  to  the  car- 
riages which  were  waiting  to  take  us  to  the  train.  There  was  an  ex- 
cellent saloon-carriage  and  a  sufficient  number  of  coupes  ready, 
and  at  3  A.  M.  we  glided  out  of  the  Bologna  station  into  a  storm 
of  rain  and  wind  which  lasted  for  several  hours,  and  made  some 
among  us  turn  an  uneasy  eye  on  the  grey,  leaden-looking  Adriatic 
with  its  fringe  of  surf,  which  came  in  view  in  the  course  of  the  day. 
Ancona  and  Foggia  furnished  a  few  minutes'  halt,  food,  and  news 
of  the  Royal  progress.  We  reached  Brindisi  after  a  run  of 
twenty  hours  from  Bologna,  and  at  1 1  p.  M.  the  train  drew  up 
alongside  the  platform  close  to  the  jetty,  where  there  was  a  body 
of  blue-jackets  and  Marines  from  the  Serapis,  to  take  charge  of 
the  baggage  and  to  keep  the  Italian  porters  in  order.  There  were 
also  some  friends  waiting  to  greet  the  travellers.  The  rain  had 
ceased  and  the  wind  had  abated.  The  stars  shone  through  the 
cloud-rifts,  and,  looking  seawards,  there  was  a  great  glory  on  the 
waters,  for  a  few  yards  out  from  the  pier  lay  the  Serapis  with  her 
long  line  of  ports  lighted  up,  her  white  sides  and  golden  scroll- 
work gleaming  brightly  in  the  glare  of  the  gas-lamps  on  shore, 
and  of  the  lanterns  displayed  at  the  companions  and  over  the 
sides  to  show  the  way.  Her  boats  were  alongside  the  pier  ;  and 
leaving  Groot  and  his  auxiliaries  to  contend  with  the  piles  of 
luggage  which  were  shot  out  on  the  platform,  we  embarked,  and 
in  a  few  seconds  more  were  standing  in  the  blaze  of  lamps  in  the 
saloon,  where  sheen  of  snowy  damask,  and  glitter  of  silver  and 
glass  on  the  long  table,  gave  note  of  welcome  supper.  Captain 
Glyn  received  the  members  of  the  suite,  and  the  officers  did  their 
best,  late  as  it  was,  to  induct  them  in  their  cabins,  and  make 
them  at  home  ;  and  we  found  Mr.  Hall  already  installed  on  board 
as  he  had  preferred  taking  a  passage  from  Portsmouth  to  the 
overland  journey. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

DEPARTURE  FROM  BRINDISI. 

PACK. 

Preparations  on  board  the  Serapis — Brindisi — Reception  of  the  Prince — 
Departure — Life  on  board — "  Cleaning-up  "—Muscular  Christians — 
First  Sunday  onboard— Cape  Malea— Reminiscences — the  Hermit — 
Last  "  look  round  " — The  Piraeus — Modern  Greek — The  Palace  at 
Athens — Tatto'i — Constitutional  Troubles — Departure  from  Athens — 
Farewell  at  Sea 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

FROM  THE  PIRAEUS  TO  GRAND  CAIRO. 

Theatre  Royal,  Serapis — Sports  and  Pastimes — the  Saloon — Port  Said — 
The  Suez  Canal — Ismailia — The  Palace  of  Gezireh — The  Khedive — 
Investiture  of  Prince  Tewfik — The  Pyramids — "  Why  go  to  India  ? " — 
Departure  from  Cairo — Farewell  to  Suez 44 

CHAPTER  III. 

SUEZ  TO  ADEN,  AND  ADEN  TO  BOMBAY. 

Sinai — The  Red  Sea — A  visit  Below — Bed  and  Board — Aden — Landing  of 
the  Prince — Arab  Sultans — The  Aden  Address — Turks  in  Arabia — 
The  first  Levee — Sultan  of  Lahej's  Petition — The  "  Hanging-tanks  " 
— Exiles  in  Aden — Subsidized  Chiefs — Something  wrong  Below — 
Programme  for  Southern  India  modified — Guy  Fawkes  at  Sea— A 
Sundays  Routine — Approaching  Bombay — Anticipations 71 


XXX  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

BOMBAY. 

PAGE 

First  Sight  of  India — Bombay  Harbor— The  Viceroy  and  the  Governor 
of  Bombay — The  Landing— The  Prince  and  the  Chiefs — The  Bombay 
Address  and  Reply  of  the  Prince— The  Procession— Bombay  Streets 
— The  burra  khana — First  Morning  in  India — First  Reception — 
"  Private  Visits  " — Maharajas  of  Kolhapoor  and  Mysore — Maharana 
of  Oodeypoor — Rao  of  Cutch — The  Gaekvvar  of  Baroda — "Sir  Madhava 
Rao — Sir  Salar  Jung — Rajpoots  and  others — Rewa  Kanta  Chiefs — 
The  Hubshee — Birthday  Rejoicings — Unpleasant  News — The  Tha- 
koors — The  Levee — Return  Visits— Byculla  Club  Ball — Bombay  Jug- 
glers— Box  wallahs — Caves  of  Elephanta— The  Banquet 104 

CHAPTER  V. 

Visit  to  Baroda — Battle  of  Kirkee — Poonah  Address — Gunnesh  Khind — 
Rumors  of  War — Sivajee — The  First  Review — Going  Somewhere 
— Ball  at  Parell — Departure  for  Baroda — The  Reception— State  Ele- 
phants— Residency  at  Baroda — Baroda  Highlanders — The  Gaekwar's 
Court — Scenes  in  the  Arena — Sensible  Rhinoceros — Zoological  Col- 
lection—Shikar Party— Cheetahs — Deer-Stalking — Native  Officers- 
Palace  of  the  Gaekwar — The  Queen  and  the  Gaekwar — Quail  Shoot- 
ing— Visit  to  the  City — Return  to  Bombay — Uncertain  where  to  go 
— Visitors  to  Hyderabad — A  Hindoo  Wedding — Departure  from 
Bombay 156 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Visit  to  Goa — A  Portuguese  Settlement — New  Goa — Old  Goa — Mancheels 
— The  Cathedral — The  Bom  Jesus — A  Fishing  Excursion — Coast 
Scenery — Beypoor — Cholera  prevalent  in  the  Shooting  District — 
The  "Moplahs" — A  Remembrance  of  Tippoo — Otter  Hunt — Qui- 
lon— The  Tabarettes 203 

CHAPTER  VII. 

COLOMBO,  KANDY,  CEYLON,  TO  TUTICORIN. 

Colombo  in  Sight — Taprobane — Birthday  of  the  Princess — The  Landing 
at  Ceylon — Departure  for  Kandy — Railroad  Scenery — Kandy — 
Blood-suckers — The  Pera-hara — The  Botanical  Gardens  of  Ceylon 
— "  Lightly  tread  !  " — The  Sacred  Tooth— The  double  Imposture— 


CONTENTS.  XXXi 

PAGE. 

Buddhist  Priests — Along  the  Road— A  curious  "  Bag  " — Leech-gait- 
ers— The  Stockade — Don  Tuskerando — "  Dead,  sure  enough  !  " — 
Agri-Horticultural  Exhibition— The  Colombo  Ball — Tamil  Coffee 
Pickers — The  Evil  One  in  Ceylon 221 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

TUTICORIN  —  MADRAS. 

Tuticorin— Tamil  Land— Tinnevelly  Christians — Madura — The  Cholera 
again — Trimul  Naik — The  Ranee  of  Shivagunga — Seringham — Tri- 
chinopoly — Madras — The  Duke  of  Buckingham's  Reception — The 
Golden  Umbrella — The  Rajas — Prince  ,of  Arcot — Races — Illumina- 
tion of  the  Surf — Native  Entertainment — Departure 263 

CHAPTER  IX. 

CALCUTTA. 

From  Madras  to  Calcutta— The  "James  and  Mary"  Shoals — The 
Hooghly — Landing  at  Calcutta — Government  House — Private  Visits 
— Ceremonies  —  Christmas  Day —  Chandernagore  —  Reception  of 
Chiefs  at  Chandal — Return  Visits — Tent-pegging — The  Star  of  India 
—The  Procession  of  the  Order— The  Ceremony— The  "Awful" 
Benefit  Night— The  Zenana 309 

CHAPTER  X. 

Bankipoor — The  Famine  Officers — A  great  Satrap — Patna — Benares — A 
grand  Camp— The  last  of  the  Tartars — Visit  to  the  Raja  of  Viziana- 
gram — Ramnagar — Fyzabad — The  "  Marti niere  " — Monument  to  the 
Faithful  among  the  Faithless — Native  Entertainment  in  the  Kaiser- 
bag  h — Broken  Collar-bones — Native  Lucknow — Cawnpoor  Well  and 
Memorial ,  .  ...  340 

CHAPTER  XI. 
IMPERIAL   D'E  L  H  I . 

The  Royal  Entry— The  Camp— The  Review— The  March-past— Criti- 
cisms— Selimghur — The  Kootab — Iloumayoun's  Tomb — The  Man- 
oeuvres— Cavalry  Field-clay — Lahore — The^  Punjaub  Chiefs — Return 
Visits — Reception  at  Jummoo — Games  and  Pastimes — The  "  Alexan- 


XXX11  CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

dra  "  Bridge  at  Wazirabad — Lahore — Sikhs  chez  eux — Umritsur — 
Agra — Procession  to  Camp — the  Chiefs — The  Taj — Excursions  to 
Futtehpoor,  Sikri  and  Sikundra— Visit  to  Gwalior — Scinclia's  Review 
— Rock  of  Gwalior — Return  to  Agra — Bhurtpoor  to  Jeypoor — The 
first  Tiger — Amber  City — Departure  from  Jeypoor 359 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  KUMAOUN — TERAI — NEPAL. 

The  Royal  Shooting  Camp — Sir  H.  Ramsay — Nynee  Tal — An  unlucky 
Dose — Pleasing  Incongruities — Terai  Scenery — Camp  personnel — A 
Day  of  Rest — The  "  King  of  Beasts  " — Tigers  and  Tigerlets — "  De 
Profundis  " — The  last  Day  with  Ramsay — Enter  Nepal — Sir  Jung 
Bahadoor — Nepalese  Civilities — An  Elephantine  Procession — Fight- 
ing-elephants— A  good  beginning — An  abstruse  Joke — Taking  to 
Roost — The  terrible  Proboscis — "  Jung  Pershaud  is  coming !  " — 
Bijli  Pershaud  enters — "Cui  Lumen  ademptum" — Ballet-drill — The 
Reign  of  Terror — Departure  from  Nepal 411 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Bareilly — Allahabad — Chapter  of  Investiture  of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of 
India — The  Prince  and  the  Viceroy — Jubalpoor — More  Thugs — 
Visit  to  Holkar — The  Residency  at  Indore — Arrival  in  Bombay — 
Farewell  to  India 453 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Homeward  Bound — St.  Patrick's  Day — A  Stern  Chase — Aden  once  more 
— Perils  by  Night — Visits  on  Board — Suez — Lord  Lytton — Cairo — 
The  Khedive— The  Grand  Duke  Alexis— The  "  Svetlana"— Alexan- 
dria—A  Rat-Trap—Malta—Gibraltar 464 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Departure  from  Gibraltar — Arrival  at  Cadiz — Seville — Cordova — Madrid 
— Toledo — The  Escurial — The  Palace  Tapestry — The  Armory — 
The  Review — Festivities — Arrival  at  Lisbon — Public  Entry — Belem 
Castle — Royal  Entertainments — Excursion  to  Cintra — Palace  of 
Ajuda — Departure  from  Lisbon — Serapis  Dinner  to  the  Prince — 
Land  in  Sight — "  The  Enchantress  is  coming  " — Home  at  Last !  .  .  482 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


6  it  graftings. 

PAGE. 
THE  FIRST  STEP  ON  INDIAN  SOIL—  LANDING  AT  BOMBAY 

Frontispiece. 

EMBARKATION  ON  BOARD  THE  SERAPIS  AT  BRINDISI    .        .        .12 
CEYLON—  THE  DEAD  ELEPHANT  ........    254 

INVESTITURE  OF  THE  STAR  OF  INDIA  AT  CALCUTTA     .        .        .    334 
THE  HUNTERS  HUNTED        .........    440 

A  LEVEE  OF  PETS         ..........    504 


Bows  OF  THE  "  SERAPIS  "    .........      9 

TATTOI.  —  COUNTRY  RESIDENCE  OF  THE  KING  OF  GREECE         .       .    32 
KING  AND  QUEEN  OF  GREECE  LEAVING  THE  "SERAPIS"    .        .        .    43 
STUDYING  RELIEF  MAP    ..........    44 

ILLUMINATION  OF  THE  GREAT  PYRAMID      ......    65 

THE  PUNKAH    ............    69 

ADEN.  —  SOMALI  BOY  CHASED  BY  A  POLICEMAN    .....    71 

THE  PRINCE  SHOOTING  BIRDS  ON  BOARD     ......  102 

THE  BHESTIE,  BOMBAY   .....      ......  104 

THE  BUTTEE-W  ALLAH     ..........  138 

SWAMP  SHOOTING     ...........  156 

THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  IN  SHOOTING  COSTUME          .        .        .        .  186 

"HAULING  THE  SEINE"  ..........  203 


*  r*  xxxiii 


XXXIV  LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 

THE  MANCHEEL 210 

"IT'S  NAE  THE  TIGERS  THAT  FEAR  ME,  IT'S  jusx  THE  SAIRPENTS 

AND  THE  LIKE  O'  THEY!" 22O 

LANDING  AT  COLOMBO 221 

A  "CRAWL"  IN  THE  JUNGLE,  CEYLON 253 

THE  VEDDAHS  LAUGH 257 

CARVING  A  GOD  AT  MADURA 263 

NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  AT  TINNEVELLY 268 

BARGAINING  FOR  BANGLES .  .  .  282 

A  NUZZUR  AT  MADRAS  .  292 

DEAD  GAME 308 

THE  PRINCE  AND  THE  BEGUM  OF  BHOPAL 309 

AFTER  THE  AUDIENCE  ...  318 

MUNIPURI  POLO  PLAYER 337 

PRINCE  Louis  HANSELS  THE  GAINEE-CART 340 

"A  HEALTH  TO  THE  BROKEN  COLLAR-BONE" 358 

THE  REVIEW  AT  DELHI 359 

THE  SHAM  FIGHT  AT  DELHI.— PERILOUS  POSITION  OF  SOME  OF  THE 

SUITE 371 

THE  GUEST  OF  CASHMERE 383 

A  CLOSE  -SHAVE  WHILE  THE  TRAIN  WAITS 388 

PAINTING  THE  PRINCE'S  ELEPHANT  .  390 

IN  THE  TERAI. — BEATING  FOR  TIGER 411 

CAMP  FIRE  IN  A  BANYAN  TOPE.— NEPALESE  BAND  PLAYING  .  .  433 
"TU  POTES  TlGRES  RABIDOS,  MACALLISTER,  DUCERE  "  .  .  .  452 

MARTYRS  TO  THUGGEE 453 

ON  THE  WAY  HOME 462 

UNDER  ONE  FLAG 464 

THE  ONLY  BULL-FIGHT  THE  PRINCE  SAW  IN  SPAIN    ....  482 

JACKO  v.  JACK  .......  ....  500 

HAVEN  AND  HOME  .  •  •  506 


THE  PRINCE 


LES'  TOUR. 


CHAPTER  I. 
DEPARTURE  FROM  BRINDISI. 

Preparations  on  board  the  Serapis — Brindisi — Reception  of  the  Prince — De- 
parture— Life  on  board — "  Cleaning-up" — Muscular  Christians — First 
Sunday  on  board — Cape  Malea — Reminiscenses— The  hermit — Last  "  look 
round  " — The  Piraeus — Modern  Greek — The  Palace  at  Athens — Tattoi — 
Constitutional  troubles — Departure  from  Athens — Farewell  at  sea. 

OCTOBER  16. — It  was  very  early  indeed  when  the  preparations 
for  the  reception  of  the  Prince  commenced  on  board  the  Serapis 
this  morning.  The  Royal  special  train  was  expected  to  arrive  at 
8.30  A.M.  Several  hours  before  that  time,  strenuous  efforts  to  clear 
away  the  mass  of  personal  baggage  outside  the  cabins  on  the 
main-deck  disturbed  the  sleepers,  who,  after  the  fatigues  of  the 
journey  of  the  previous  day,  would  gladly  have  remained  at  rest 


IO  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*   TOUR. 

a  little  longer ;  but  the  inexorable  first  lieutenant  and  officers 
of  the  watch  directing  their  forces  of  sailors,  in iri.ics,  and  China- 
men to  make  a  passage  between  the  piles  of  portmanteaus  from 
the  gangway  to  the  foot  of  the  saloon-companion,  speedily  dissi- 
pated any  dreams  of  indulgence  in  such  bodily  infirmity.  As  to 
the  minor  inconveniences  of  "  clearing  away  "  boxes  and  "  lum- 
ber "  outside  cabins  on  these  occasions,' they  best  can  paint  them 
who  have  felt  them  most.  There  were  stowaway  corners  and 
crypts  under  the  staircase,  and  shelves  fixed  across  the  main- 
deck,  concealed  by  green  curtains  for  portmanteaus  ;  but  this  did 
not  suffice  for  all,  especially  as  the  shelves  were  appropriated  by 
a  few  who  had  many  boxes.  The  mode  of  access  to  the  saloon 
and  to  the  State  apartments  was  rather  a  weak  part  of  the  con- 
stitution of  the  ship,  but  it  was  perhaps  unavoidable.  The  com- 
panion-ladder was  on  the  port  side  of  the  main-deck,  and  visitors 
were  obliged  to  pass  by  the  sleeping-cabins  to  the  staircase  which 
led  to  the  saloon  on  the  upper-deck. 

There  was  little  time  before  the  arrival  of  the  Royal  train  to 
make  ourselves  familiar  with  the  ship  which  was  to  be  our  home 
for  so  many  days  and  nights,  but  her  great  length  of  deck,  the 
beautiful  order  and  exquisite  cleanliness  of  everything  visible 
aloft  and  below,  produced  a  favorable  impression  at  the  first  glance. 
The  cabins  varied  in  size  and  in  fittings  ;  some  had  two  ports 
others  one,  but  all  were  well-appointed.  They  were  beautifully 
fresh  and  neat,  not  overdone  with  ornament  or  gilding,  but  there 
was  room  for  such  decoration  as  the  occupants  might  deem  most 
appropriate.  In  each  cabin  there  was  a  large  and  comfortable- 
looking  sofa  which  was  converted  into  a  bedstead  at  night,  but 
the  fate  of  these  was  speedily  sealed,  as  shall  be  related  here- 
after. A  writing-table  with  drawers,  a  chest  of  drawers  and 
dressing-table,  a  washing-stand,  a  bath,  shelves  and  nettings  for 
books,  clothes,  boots  and  looking-glasses— what  more  was  needed  ? 
There  was  ample  light  when  the  outer  ports  were  not  closed.  It 
must  be  confessed  that  the  stories  of  her  behavior  in  the  run 
from  Portsmouth  outward,  and  the  reputation  she  had  acquired  of 
a  "  tremendous  roller,"  caused  some  misgivings  among  the  weaker 


BRINDISI.  II 

vessels,  and  many  secret  and  confidential  inquiries  were  addressed 
by  them  as  soon  as  they  got  on  board  to  the  officers  and  passengers 
respecting  the  conduct  of  the  Serapis  in  the  voyage  from  Malta 
to  Brindisi,  the  results  of  which  were  very  satisfactory  and  com- 
forting, The  suite  received  invitations  from  Captain  Glyn 
and  the  officers  to  the  ward-room  as  honorary  members  of  the 
mess. 

There  is  an  Old-world  look  about  Brindisi.  When  the  line 
of  mail  steamers  to  the  east  galvanized  the  port  into  a  fitful  ac- 
tivity for  a  few  hours  once  a  week,  there  were  great  expectations 
raised  of  a  glorious  future,  and  it  was  predicted  that  the  town 
would  become  the  centre  of  a  considerable  commerce.  Land 
was  largely  bought  on  speculation,  the  harbor  was  dredged  out 
and  improved,  a  new  breakwater  was  completed,  houses  were 
built  on  a  large  scale,  and  all  seemed  going  on  well,  when 
Venice  was  "  discovered,"  and  the  old  Queen  of  the  Adriatic 
enticed  the  roving  affections  of  commerce  from  her  disconsolate 
rival.  One  advantage  was  gained  by  the  temporary  im- 
portance of  the  place,  which  the  inhabitants  perhaps  did  not 
appreciate.  The  incredible  filth  and  nastiness  of  the  streets  were 
somewhat  abated,  and  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants  improved. 
Many  travellers  still  prefer  the  long,  tedious,  and  trying  journey 
from  Turin  to  Brindisi  to  the  sea  route  from  Venice,  and  there  is 
nothing  to  be  said  against  their  fancy  if  they  disregard  the  dust 
in  summer  and  the  cold  in  winter,  the  evil  baiting-places  on 
the  way,  and  the  monotony  of  the  rail  with  its  borderings  of  olive 
plantations  and  tideless  sea,  where  the  excesses  of  the  storm 
are  denoted  by  lines  of  stagnating  sea-weed.  Now  Brindisi  was 
very  gay.  Landwards  floated  in  the  strong  southerly  breeze 
over  the  houses  the  flags  of  many  Powers,  for  there  are  many 
Consular  personages  in  the  town.  The  Civic  Band  was  playing 
near  the  railway  station,  the  custom-house  guards  in  full  uniform 
were  drawn  up  on  the  quay  to  which  the  Serapis  was  moored, 
and  there  was  close  to  her  a  crowd  of  fully  a  hundred  persons 
apparently  listening  to  a  lecture  on  marine  architecture  from 
an  ancient  mariner  who  had  surely  never  beheld  such  a  gallant 


12  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

craft  before.  Seaward,  near  the  interesting  old  fort  in  the  middle 
of  the  harbor  lay  the  Italian  ironclads  Castel-Fidardo  and  the 
Reina  Maria  Pia,  which  had  come  round  from  Spezzia  in  a  gale 
of  wind,  H.M.S.  Hercules,  H.M.S.  Pallas,  the  Royal  yacht 
Osborne,  and  a  few  steamers  and  sailing-vessels — British,  Greek, 
and  Italian — all  dressed  in  their  best,  to  do  honor  to  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  with  bunting  streaming  out  flat  as  sheets  of 
colored  glass  in  the  stiff  souther,  which  sent  the  surf  flying  over 
the  breakwater,  and  brought  up  with  it  from  time  to  time  drench- 
ing showers.  The  members  of  the  suite  appeared  in  uniform  for 
the  first  time  ;  the  ships'  officers  were  what  is  nautically  called 
"  in  full  fig ; "  and  as  the  drum  summoned  the  crew  to  quarters,  it 
was  a  pleasure  to  look  down  from  the  quarter-deck  on  the  clean, 
smart  men-of-warsmen  ranged  below  in  their  spick-and-span  new 
white  raiment  ready  to  man  yards  at  a  word.  It  was  nearly 
9.30  A.M.  when  the  Royal  train  was  signalled,  in  less  than  half 
an  hour  afterwards  the  Prince  of  Wales  descended  from  his 
carriage  at  the  Railway  Station.  The  Prefetto  and  sotto-Pre- 
fetto,  and  the  authorities  of  the  district,  on  the  platform,  received 
his  Royal  Highness,  who  acknowledged  their  salutations,  shook 
hands  with  Count  Maffei  and  one  or  two  of  his  personal  ac- 
quaintances, and  walked  to  the  steps  where  his  barge  was  await- 
ing him.  With  the  Prince  came  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  the 
Earl  of  Aylesford,  Lord  Suffield,  Lord  C.  Beresford,  Lieut-Col- 
onel Ellis,  Mr.  F.  Knollys,  Major  Stanley  Clarke,  Sir  A.  Paget, 
and  the  members  of  the  British  Legation  who  could  be  spared 
from  Rome,  the  Italian  Minister  of  Marine,  Vice-Admiral  di 
San  Bon,  and  his  naval  aide-de-camp,  etc.  The  Civic  Band  played 
"  God  save  the  Queen  "  and  the  Italian  National  Air ;  the  Royal 
Standard  (of  the  Prince  of  Wales)  was  run  up  in  the  barge  the 
moment  he  was  on  board  ;  the  British  and  Italian  men-of-war 
manned  yards,  and  running  up  the  Royal  Standard,  fired  a  Royal 
salute.  The  fine  effect  of  the  sudden  outburst  was  greatly 
increased  by  the  drifting  smoke,  which  was  whirled  away  rapidly 
by  the  breeze  to  leeward,  instead  of  hanging  round  the  ships  and 
obscuring  hull  and  rigging.  In  a  couple  of  minutes  more  the 


^; 

pjlivt 
OFCA 


ROYAL    HONORS.  13 

Prince  of  Wales  was  ascending  the  ladder  to  the  port  gangway 
of  the  Sera-pis,  where  he  was  received  by  Captain  Glyn  and 
the  officers  of  the  ship.  On  every  occasion  of  his  Royal  High- 
ness's  arrival  or  departure  in  public  the  same  ceremony  was 
observed  on  board.  The  Royal  Marines  and  the  detachment  of 
R.M.A.  were  drawn  up  on  the  main-deck  to  the  right  of  the  lar- 
board gangway,  the  Band  of  the  Royal  Marines  on  their  left,  the 
officers  standing  in  a  line  from  the  gangway  to  the  entrance  to 
the  main-deck  cabins.  The  instant  the  Prince  put  his  foot  on 
board  or  quitted  the  ship,  his  Standard  was  run  up  or  hauled 
down,  yards  were  manned  ;  the  Band  played  "  God  save  the 
Queen,"  officers  and  guards  of  honor  saluted  with  the  usual  hon- 
ors. The  guard  of  honor  mounted  on  the  main-deck  to  receive 
personages  entitled  to  salutes  could  not  "  present "  arms,  as  the 
bayonets  would  have  come  in  contact  with  the  deck  overhead, 
but  Major  Snow  got  over  the  difficulty  by  inventing  a  new  exer- 
cise and  maniement  des  armes,  which  answered  quite  as  well  as 
the  old. 

The  arrangements  on  board  were  found  to  be  very  satisfactory. 
The  Italian  Minister  of  Marine  was  loud  in  his  approbation  of 
the  great  size  and  airiness  of  the  ship,  and  of  the  perfect  order 
on  board.  Breakfast  was  served  soon  after  the  Prince's  arrival, 
and  then,  after  a  short  promenade  on  deck  and  final  message, 
came  "  the  word  that  must  be  spoken."  At  11.15  A-  M-  ^e  Brit- 
ish and  Italian  Ministers  took  leave,  with  many  expressions  of 
their  respectful  interest  in  the  expedition,  and  good  wishes  for 
the  safety  and  happy  return  of  the  Prince.  The  first  thud  of  the 
screw  caused  the  great  frame  of  the  ship  to  quiver  from  stem  to 
stern,  and  the  Serapis  moved  slowly  seaward  in  the  wake  of  the 
Os borne,  which  was  followed  by  the  Hercules  and  Pallas.  The 
moment  of  her  departure  was  telegraphed  to  Athens,  where  the 
Prince  was  expected  on  Monday.  Again  the  iron  throats  of  the 
cannon  uttered  a  deal  of  sulphurous  breath  and  the  crews  of  the 
men-of-war  shouted.  The  Prince  went  forward  to  the  bridge, 
where  there  is  a  kind  of  room  or  wooden  box  with  windows  at 
three  sides,  a  table  for  charts,  chairs,  telescopes,  and  glasses. 


14  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES     TOUR. 

The  steering-wheels  are  underneath,  and  there  is  a  good  look-out 
fore  and  aft  over  the  decks  from  the  platform,  which  is  nigh  six- 
ty feet  above  the  sea.  In  ten  minutes  we  saw  the  Ostornemake 
a  graceful  curtsey  to  an  incoming  wave,  the  first  of  the  numerous 
family  outside  the  reef  which,  leaping  on  each  other's  backs  in 
their  anxiety  to  welcome  it,  were  awaiting  the  little  squadron  ; 
but  when  it  came  to  her  turn,  the  lofty  Serapis  scarcely  deigned 
to  notice  their  salutations,  and  only  gave  a  slight  nod  of  her  head 
as  if  to  show  she  was  not  regardless  of  all  the  laws  of  maritime 
propriety.  But  notwithstanding  that  dignified  nonchalance  the 
company  which  sat  down  to  dinner  did  not  include  all  those  who 
came  on  board  the  ship,  and  there  was  in  several  cabins  hidden 
but  audible  suffering.  This  was  the  first  time  of  wearing  the 
Serapis  dress — a  blue  jacket  with  silk  facings  and  household  but- 
tons, black  trousers  and  black  necktie — which  was  pronounced 
to  be  a  successful  substitute  for  the  mess  dress  and  the  civilian 
black  coat  of  evening  life.  The  Prince  went  round  the  decks  be- 
fore dinner  and  inspected  "  the  Farm," — the  various  animals  he 
was  bringing  as  presents  to  the  King  of  Greece,  and  his  horses 
from  the  Sandringham  stables,  but  he  did  not  appear  at  table. 
However,  he  came  out  of  his  room  after  dinner,  and  in  the  even- 
ing sat  in  the  charming  little  "  fumoir  "  on  the  quarter-deck,  to 
which  access  is  gained  from  the  saloon  below  by  a  winding  stair- 
case. It  is  windowed  with  plate  glass,  panelled  in  white  and 
gold,  and  provided  with  sofas.  There  are  doors  at  each  angle, 
a  small  book-case,  barometer,  clock,  &c.  ;  on  the  panels  are  fine 
photographs  of  the  two  young  princes  in  sailors'  costume,  and  a 
frame  of  exquisite  photographs  of  the  Princess  of  Wales  and  the 
Royal  children.  The  Band  stationed  on  the  upper-deck  played 
from  dinner-time  till  past  9  o'clock,  and  proved  to  be  very  steady 
on  its  legs  in  the  sea-way,  and  of  excellent  quality.  The  speed 
of  the  vessel  was  regulated  methodically  by  Admiralty  Orders, 
as  if  the  winds  and  seas  were  factors  of  small  consequence.  An 
average  rate  of  264  knots  in  the  24  hours,  or  n  knots  an  hour, 
was  the  basis  on  which  the  calculations  of  the  programme  de- 
pended, and  about  48  revolutions  per  minute  of  the  Serapis  screw 


LIFE    ON    BOARD.  15 

corresponded  with  the  required  mileage.  There  was  a  fair  but 
strong  wind,  which  eased  the  screw  and  enabled  the  ship  to  set  a 
good  spread  of  canvas,  but  there  was  too  much  wind  and  sea  to- 
wards nightfall,  as  she  was  off  the  coast  of  Cephalonia,  and  sail 
was  reduced.  The  lights  are  extinguished  in  the  cabins  at  1 1  P.M., 
but  those  in  the  saloon  are  left  burning  till  the  Prince  retires  for 
the  night.  There  are,  however,  great  lanterns  along  the  main-deck, 
which  cast  their  rays  upon  the  darkness  where  the  marine  on  duty 
passes  up  and  down  outside  the  entrance  to  the  cabins,  and  reveal 
"  Bobeche,"  the  Prince's  French  poodle,  scampering  about  in 
search  of  "  Flossy,"  another  canine  favorite,  or  of  some  other  less 
substantial  playmate.  He  seems  under  the  impression  that  there 
must  be  a  dog  or  two  hidden  on  board,  and  has  already  made 
search  all  up  and  down  the  decks,  investigating  the  secrets  of 
his  water  prison-house  with  so  much  success  that  he  was  quite 
lost  for  about  an  hour,  and  baffled  all  attempts  to  discover  him, 
so  that  it  was  feared  he  had  gone  overboard.  However, 
Bobeche  had  not  the  least  idea  of  doing  anything  so  foolish. 

October  17. — The  wind  and  sea  abated  during  the  night  and 
the  Serapis  slide  very  quietly  through  the  placid  waters ;  but 
soon  after  dawn  a  gentle  breeze  sprung  up  nearly  right  astern, 
and  all  square  canvas  was  set — Osborne  in  her  station,  but  no 
sign  of  Hercules  or  Pallas.  The  first  sound  which  pierces  the 
dull  hubbub  of  the  throbbing  engines  and  of  the  cleaving  of  the 
waters  outside  is  the  bugle-call  which  sets  all  the  servants  in  mo- 
tion— or  ought  to  do  so — on  the  main-deck.  Then  comes  the 
tumult  of  "  cleaning-up  "  outside  the  cabins  and  on  the  decks, 
but  we  are  spared  the  horrible  marine  infliction  of  "  holystoning." 
The  planking  is  covered  with  oil-cloth,  which  is  swabbed  and 
washed.  The  cleaning  up  is  done  by  certain  loose-limbed  sinewy 
Chinamen — quiet,  orderly  fellows,  with  a  full  allowance  of  tail, 
who  do  not  appear  to  recognize  "  Tom  Fat "  as  a  man  and  a 
brother,  though  his  tail  is  of  irreproachable  length.  Perhaps  his 
Christianity  has  cut  him  off  from  his  brethren.  Presently  elec- 
tric bells  begin  to  tinkle,  and  various  figures,  draped  after  the 
antique,  appear  outside  the  cabins,  and  hold  converse  on  the 


i6 

main-deck  whilst  they  await  their  turns  for  the  bath,  exchanging 
ideas  about  the  weather,  past,  present,  and  to  come,  and  the  sen- 
sations which  the  sea  has  caused  or  which  it  yet  menaces.  The 
athletically  disposed  take  to  various  strengthening  exercises.  Dr. 
Fayrer,  armed  with  two  mugdahs  or  Indian  clubs,  whirls  them 
round  his  head  with  an  air  of  entire  resignation  and  devotion, 
diligently  improving  his  already  very  respectable  biceps,  and  Can- 
on Duckworth  gives  demonstration  that  he  is  no  bad  representa- 
tive of  the  school  of  muscular  Christians.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  is 
one  of  the  very  early  risers,  and  begins  his  work  before  break- 
fast hour ;  but  no  matter  how  busy  he  may  be,  he  never  minds 
any  interruption,  and  is  always  ready  to  give  information,  of 
which  he  has  such  ample  stores  in  most  matters,  with  the  greatest 
cheerfulness. 

A  fair  muster  at  breakfast,  Lord  Alfred  Paget  turning  up  at 
8  A.M.  with  sailorly  briskness,  and  most  of  the  others  being  an 
hour  later.  At  n  A.M.  the  Church  pendant  was  hoisted,  and  the 
Rev.  Canon  Duckworth  read  Divine  service  in  the  saloon  before 
the  Prince,  suite,  and  domestics.  Land  was  seen  on  the  port  bow 
at  1.45  P.  M.  ;  and  soon  after  the  little  squadron  passed  Navarino 
Bay.  An  Italian  brig  saluted  the  Royal  Standard,  dipping  her 
flag  three  times,  and  Captain  Glyn  gave  orders  that  the  Serapis 
should  dip  also,  which  was  much  better  than  taking  no  notice  of 
the  civility,  although  it  was  not  strictly  in  accordance  with  the 
etiquette  to  do  so  under  the  circumstances.  The  steamer  Graphic 
of  Hull,  actuated,  no  doubt,  by  excessive  loyalty  and  curiosity, 
but  troublesome  for  all  that,  as  if  the  sea  were  not  wide  enough 
for  all,  would  get  in  our  way.  There  have  been  recent  painful 
incidents  which  render  these  demonstrations  undesirable.  As 
the  time  at  which  the  Prince  was  expected  at  Athens  was  settled 
"  to  the  minute,"  it  was  necessary  to  reduce  the  speed  of  the  ship 
to  eight  knots,  in  order  that  we  should  not  arrive  too  soon.  At 
4  P.M.  Mount  Taygetus  was  visible.  The  approach  of  the  Prince 
was  telegraphed  to  the  telegraph  station  near  Matapan  by  the 
code  signals.  It  would  not  be  at  all  a  novel  remark  to  offer  that 
it  would  have  been  a  great  advantage  to  the  democracy  of  Athens 


SUNDAY  AT   SEA  I/ 

if  they  could  have  learnt  exactly  when  the  Spartan  galleys  might 
have  been  expected  off  ^gina.  The  sea  belied  its  traditions 
this  our  first  Sunday  on  board,  for  it  became  almost  dead  calm  as 
soon  as  we  were  off  Cerigo,  and  a  bright  moonlight  rested  on  the 
crestless  swell  which  still  agitated  the  sea.  There  was  a  glorious 
sunset  (beautiful  exceedingly),  a  great  fire  on  the  western  horizon, 
which  cast  a  purple  glow  over  the  sea,  and  flung  a  broad  hemi- 
sphere of  saffron,  gold,  and  green  into  the  sky.  All  the  com- 
pany turned  up  on  deck,  and  watched  the  radiance  in  silence. 

All  the  late  absentees  appeared  at  dinner  to-day,  and  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  custom  which  was  established  on  the  first  day 
of  the  Prince's  appearance  on  board,  and  which  was  never  depart- 
ed from  during  his  voyage,  a  certain  number  of  the  ship's  officers 
were  invited  to  the  Royal  table,  invitations  being  given  to  all  the 
officers  in  turn.  The  dressing  bugle  sounded  at  7  P.M.,  and  at 
7.30  P.M.  the  company  assembled  in  the  large  saloon  astern,  in  the 
fore  part  of  which  the  table  was  laid.  The  Prince  came  out  of 
his  room  a  few  moments  earlier,  and  went  round  to  say  a  few 
words  and  shake  hands  with  the  officers  ;  the  signal  for  dinner  was 
given  by  the  Band  playing  "The  Roast  Beef  of  Old  England." 
His  Royal  Highness  led  the  way  and  took  his  place  at  the  for- 
ward end  of  the  table.  Lord  Suffield  sat  at  the  other  end  aft, 
and  the  suite  and  guests  settled  down  pretty  much  as  they  pleas- 
ed, till  use  established  a  settled  order  in  the  intermediate  seats. 
Towards  the  close  of  dinner,  the  Prince  rising  said,  "  Her  Majesty 
the  Queen,"  and  the  company  rose  also  and  remained  standing 
whilst  the  Band  played  the  usual  bars  of  the  National  Anthem. 
Then  after  dessert  the  Prince  left  the  saloon  and  went  up  to  the 
divan  on  the  quarter-deck,  where  coffee  was  served,  and  sat  for 
an  hour  or  two  listening  to  the  Band  or  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion. 

After  dinner   the  band  varied  the  musical  entertainment  in 
the    programme  by  singing  a  chorus  from  Stabat  Mater  very, 
finely.     We  were  near  Cape  Malea  at  the  moment,  and  I  thought 
of  the  time  twenty- one  years  ago  when  the  Rifle  Brigade — the 
advance  guard  of   the   British  expedition  to  the   Crimea — on 


1 8  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

board  the  Golden  Fleece^  woke  up  the  echoes  of  the  same  head- 
lands with  the  strains  of  their  jubilant  song — 

"  Soldiers !  merrily  march  away ! 
Soldier's  glory  lives  in  story, 
His  laurels  are  green  when  his  hair  is  grey, 
And  it's  oh !  for  the  life  of  a  soldier  !  " 

How  many  of  the  joyous  Riflemen  are  alive  now  ?  There  are 
Norcott,  Elrington,  Colville,  Newdegate,  Egerton,  and  some  two 
or  three  more  perhaps.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  told  me  that  thirteen 
years  before  the  time  of  which  I  speak  he  passed  this  very  Cape 
Malea  in  a  Greek  brig,  on  his  way  to  Alexandria  to  make  essay 
of  the  newly-found  "  overland  route,"  of  the  which — as  far  as 
water  was  concerned — he  had,  ere  he  arrived  at  Bombay,  a 
very  long  and  varied  experience  in  the  Red  Sea  and  the  Persian 
Gulf.  It  is  said  that  the  hermit  who  lived  in  a  cave  in  the  face 
of  the  cliff  in  those  days,  and  who  was  held  in  reverence  by 
superstitious  mariners,  is  still  abiding  there.  It  is  probably  a 
hereditary  office — "  VHermite  est  mort !  Vive  r  Hermite  !" 

Before  turning  in,  those  with  nautical  tastes  generally  go 
forward  to  the  bridge  and  have  a  little  weather  talk.  The 
Prince  rarely  if  ever  retired  for  the  night  without  taking  this 
"  look  round,"  and  havirg  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  the 
officers  on  duty. 

October  18. — "  We  shall  be  in  the  Piraeus  in  a  couple  of 
hours,  they  tell  me  !  "  First  news  this  morning.  The  speed  of 
the  ship  was  reduced,  as  the  Prince's  arrival  had  been  fixed  for 
9.30  A.M.  Already  Cape  Colonna  could  be  discerned,  and 
the  ruins  of  the  Temple  of  Minerva,  crowning  "the  marble 
steep,"  were  shining  in  all  the  glory  of  their  untarnished  mar- 
ble in  the  morning  sun.  On  our  port  side  lay  the  rugged  shores 
of  ancient  Calaurea,  where  stood  the  Temple  of  -  Neptune,  in 
which  Demosthenes,  almost  within  sight  of  the  beloved  city  which 
his  eloquence  could  not  save  from  the  proud  foot  of  the  con- 
queror, died  by  his  own  hand.  The  island  now  called  Poros, 
from  a  small  penmsula  near  it,  is  the  site  of  a  naval  arsenal. 


REMINISCENCES.  IQ 

Ahead,  on  the  port  bow,  was  ^Egina,  with  the  bulk  of  Mount  St. 
Elias  towering  aloft,  just  flecked  by  a  few  snowy  cloudlets. 
Presently  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  seemed  to  come  out  to  meet  us. 
Salamis  lay  an  our  port  bow.  Looking  straight  over  the  stem 
the  spectators  beheld,  glistening  in  the  sun,  the  mountain  ranges 
which  inclose  the  little  plain  of  Attica.  The  pure,  clear  air 
renders  the  outlines  of  the  landscape  wonderfully  distinct,  but 
it  is  difficult,  nevertheless,  to  believe  that  the  figure  of  Minerva 
—which,  with  gilt  helm,  spear,  and  shield,  surmounted  the 
Parthenon— was  visible  at  Sunium,  a  distance  of  forty  miles  and 
more,  unless,  perhaps,  when  the  sun  was  reflected  from  the 
polished  surface.  Beneath  the  high  chain  which  sweeps  round 
from  the  range  of  Parnes,  fencing  out  rude  Bceotia,  there 
stretches  the  broken  hill-land  to  the  west,  north,  and  east  of 
the  city.  "  There  is  the  Acropolis  !  "  "  You  can  see  the  Pantheon 
quite  plainly  now  ! "  To  the  left  of  the  Temple  we  could  dis- 
cern Mount  Anchesmus,  and  beyond  the  sheer  downfall  of 
Pentelicus,  clad  in  white  marble,  and,  nearer,  Lycabettus  ;  and 
on  the  starboard  bow  towered  Hymettus.  The  fair  panorama 
unfolded  itself  rapidly.  The  white  houses  of  the  city  cowering 
at  the  base  of  the  Acropolis,  the  domes  of  Greek  churches, 
and  the  piles  of  recent  public  edifices  became  more  definite ; 
and  the  confused,  cloud-like  appearance  on  the  verge  of  the  sea 
which  the  Piraeus  first  presented  to  the  sight,  was  resolvable 
into  a  mass  of  houses,  in  front  of  which  was  a  pulk  of  ships' 
masts  close  together,  with  bright  coruscations  of  colors  playing 
over  them  as  the  innumerable  flags  fluttered  in  the  breeze. 

"Adsunt  Athenae,  unde  Humanitas,  Doctrina,  Religio,  Fruges,  Jura, 
Leges,  ortas  atque  in  omnes  terras  distribute  putantur,  de  quorum  posses- 
sione,  propter  pulchritudinem,  etiam  inter  Deos  certamen  fuisse  proditum 
est." 

How  different  is  the  present  reputation  of  the  "  Ancient  of 
Days! "  Neither  humanity,  religion,  learning,  nor  laws  emanate 
from  her  bosom,  and  the  old  world  only  gives  back  with 
niggard  hands  some  of  the  blessings  which  she  owes  to- her 


20  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

benefactress,  and  distils  out  of  the  great  reservoir  of  her  wealth 
a  few  drops  to  refresh  the  arid  plains  in  which  were  nursed  all 
that  can  decorate  life  and  bless  mankind  with  knowledge.  They 
who  were  charged  with  the  care  of  the  Serapis  just  now,  however, 
had  not  much  time  to  think  of  anything  else  except  the  difficulty 
of  guiding  such  a  vast  ship  through  the  narrow  entrance  to  the 
anchorage  of  the  Piraeus,  which  is  far  more  suited  to  an  ancient 
trireme  than  to  a  modern  troop-ship.  In  the  days  of  sailing^ 
vessels  it  could  not  have  been  easy  to  have  entered,  unless  with  v 
fair  winds,  and  it  is  related  that  when  Captain  Clarke  took  in 
the  Braakel\\\  1812,  not  without  doing  her  a  good  deal  of  dam- 
age, the  people  flocked  down  in  thousands  to  gaze  on  such  an 
unwonted  apparition. 

Steam  enables  sailors  to  tackle  such  difficulties  as  are  pre- 
sented by  the  narrowness  of  the  Piraeus  with  confidence,  though 
not  without  care,  and  now  the  water  seemed  blocked  up  with  the 
mass  of  shipping ;  but,  as  we  glided  out  of  the  Pass,  we  could 
see  there  was  a  kind  of  avenue  between  the  British  men-of-war 
and  those  of  other  nations,  and  the  ships,  yachts,  and  small  craft 
which  crowded  the  ancient  port,  left  for  the  vessels  to  keep  in. 
It  was  a  very  pretty  sight ;  every  ship  dressed  in  colors,  the 
crews  of  the  men-of-war  in  white  in  the  yards ;  marines  drawn 
up  with  presented  arms ;  officers  in  groups  on  the  quarter- 
decks •  boats  with  men  and  women  waving  hats  and  handker- 
chiefs flying  in  and  out  amid  the  lanes  of  vessels.  The  Prince, 
who  was  dressed  in  full  uniform  to  receive  the  King,  surveyed 
the  scene  which  looked  so  bright  in  the  bright  sunshine.  His 
compagnons  de  voyage,  Murray  in  hand,  were  ogling  the  land- 
scape through  their  glasses,  or  recalling  ancient  memories. 
The  guns  thundered,  bells  rung  on  shore,  cheers  rose  from  the 
waters  and  floated  away  from  the  throats  of  the  sailors  manning 
the  yards  and  rigging  of  the  craft  which  lay  so  close  and  packed 
in  the  little  harbor,  that  there  was  not  much  room  for  the 
Serapis  to  scrape  through  to  her  anchorage.  The  Royal  Greek 
yacht  Amphitrite,  with  the  Standards  of  Great  Britain  and  of 
the- Hellenic  Kingdom  flving  from  main  and  fore,  and  the 


ACCIDENTS.  21 

Russian  sloop  lay  close  at  hand  on  the  port  bow,  and  the 
American  corvette,  Juanita,  on  the  starboard  quarter.  The  pilot 
thought  the  ship  was  in  the  right  place  off  the  pillars.  "Let 
go  the  starboard  anchor  !  "  Over  went  S.B.  The  usual  rumble 
and  grating,  like  a  charge  of  fifty  steam  rollers  over  a  rough 
pavement,  followed  for  an  instant — and  for  an  instant  only — the 
chain  cable  had  snapped  at  the  fourth  shackle,  and  the  star- 
board anchor,  having  severed  its  connection  with  the  ship,  was 
lying  at  the  bottom  on  its  own  account.  "  Let  go  the  port  anchor !  " 
A  quick,  hot  command  this  time.  Over  went  B.B.  Again  the 
rattle  of  the  chain  through  the  hawse-hole  was  heard  for  an  instant 
— and  for  an  instant  only — the  cable  had  parted — the  port  anchor 
was  rejoicing  in  its  liberty  alongside  its  fellow.  Except  the 
sailors,  no  one  knew  what  had  occurred  ;  but  as  the  Serapis 
fetched  leeway  under  the  influence  of  the  stiff  breeze,  Captain 
Glyn,  who  had  been  till  this  moment  looking  somewhat  uneasy 
about  the  berthing  of  his  ship,  passed  aft  with  a  fine  calm  on  his 
brow,  to  look  out  astern  and  murmured  gently,  "  We've  lost  both 
anchors !  "  on  the  quarter-deck.  The  steam  had  been  blown  off 
from  our  boilers,  and  there  seemed  imminent  risk  of  a  catastrophe. 
Either  the  Serapis  would  crush  up  the  whole  flotilla  of  wooden 
vessels  like  so  many  egg-shells,  and  run  aground,  or  she  would  be 
impaled  on  the  spur  of  our  own  iron-clacls.  Every  one  ran  to 
the  side,  looked  over,  and  then  glanced  astern,  where  the  shining 
iron  stems  of  the  Hercules  and  Swiftsure,  as  they  rose  and  fell 
gently  in  the  swell,  flashed  a  kind  of  signal  to  beware  of  contact. 
Their  bows  would  have  gone  through  the  thin  iron  of  the 
Serapis  "*.<$>  a  knife  cuts  butter."  Gathering  way  rapidly,  the 
Serapis  came  down  on  the  astonished  Greeks  on  board  the  yacht ; 
but  the  King  of  the  Hellenes,  who  is  a  thorough  sailor,  saw 
what  was  the  matter  at  once,  and  sent  the  crew  forward  to  fend 
off  the  coming  mountain.  In  a  second  more  there  was  a  loud 
crash  and  snap  as  the  Serapis  avenged  the  damage  done  by 
the  yacht's  bowsprit  to  one  of  her  boats  by  the  abrupt  removal 
of  that  spar,  and  then  continued  her  career  astern.  There  was 
speedily  a  scene  of  much  activity  all  around  us.  Off  came  the 


22  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

Russian's  boat  with  the  end  of  a  warp,  and  landed  it  cleverly  on 
board  the  Osborne  which  had  her  steam  up,  and  was  manceuver- 
ing  to  help  her  erratic  consort.  There  was  not  the  smallest 
confusion,  but  there  was  a  good  deal  of  excitement  on  board.  In 
a  very  short  time  the  warp  was  made  fast  on  board  the  Serapis, 
her  way  was  checked  just  in  time  to  avoid  the  danger  of  fouling, 
and,  forging  ahead  again,  she  was  brought  up  to  her  old  ground, 
and  then  let  go  both  sheet  anchors,  which  held  her  fast  at  last. 
As  soon  as  she  was  anchored  (10.30  A.M.),  King  George  came 
off  under  a  Royal  salute  from  all  the  shipping,  yards  manned, 
&c.,  and  was  received  at  the  side  by  the  Prince,  who  conduct- 
ed him  to  the  saloon,  where  the  members  of  the  suite  were  pre- 
sented to  His  Majesty.  Sir  J.  Drummond,  Admiral  Boutakoff, 
and  many  Russian,  American,  Austrian,  and  Turkish  officers 
hastened  on  board  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  Prince.  These 
were  followed  by  officers  in  uniform — naval,  military,  consular, 
and  diplomatic — so  that  the  decks  of  the  Serapis  presented  a 
very  animated  appearance,  in  keeping  with  the  scene  outside, 
where  the  waters  were  crowded  with  boats  and  sailing  craft,  filled 
with  people  turned  out  in  their  best.  At  noon  the  members 
of  the  suite  were  told  off  to  the  boats  alongside,  to  lead  the  way 
to  the  landing-place  of  the  Piraeus,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away. 
On  the  platform  there  was  a  deputation,  and  probably  an  address, 
but  the  first  comers  had  to  drive  off  to  the  terminus  before  the 
Royal  party  landed,  and  did  not  witness  the  reception.  They 
passed  to  the  carriages  from  the  steps  through  the  guard  of  honor 
and  troops  lining  the  sides  to  keep  off  the  crowds  of  curious  who 
pressed  upon  them — a  medley  of  races  in  great  variety  of  cos- 
tume, among  whom  there  were  not  many  women.  These  mostly 
looked  out  of  the  windows  of  the  rather  poor  houses,  much  given 
to  entertainment  of  sailors,  and  suggesting  the  idea  of  a  Greek 
Wapping,  which  line  the  way  here.  There  was  abundance  of 
green  wreaths,  bunches  of  flowers  and  banners  along  the  streets 
to  the  Railway  Station,  which  was  prettily  decorated — scarlet 
cloth  laid  down  on  the  platform — banners,  &c. — a  gathering  of 
well-dressed  ladies,  the  various  ministers  and  ex-ministers,  the 


RECEPTION    OF    THE    PRINCE.  23 

diplomatic  body,  the  clergy  of  the  Greek  Church  and  others,  the 
civil  magistrates,  the  Town  Council  (TO  dr^tnuuv  Zuti.£tM>uv 
'AOyvatv),  theNomarchs  of  Attica  and  Boeotia,  the  Demarchs  of 
the  Piraeus  and  of  Athens,  the  'Y-oopY°\  &c. — to  receive  the 
Royal  party,  whose  arrival  was  announced  by  another  salute  of 
cannon  and  by  loud  cheering. 

The  Royal  train  was  in  readiness,  the  engine  puffing  impa- 
tiently to  get  off,  and  after  some  delay,  connected  with  the  baggage, 
the  King  and  Prince,  greeted  by  the  peculiar  sort  of  cry  which 
is  the  Greek  substitute  for  a  cheer,  left  the  station.  There  was 
some  curiosity  manifested  by  the  people  in  the  suburb  of  the 
Piraeus,  for  they  mounted  on  the  walls  to  look  at  the  train ;  but 
the  peasants,  men  and  women,  at  work  in  the  olive-groves  and 
in  the  fields  only  paused  for  a  while,  some  doffing  their  hats,  and 
then  resumed  their  labors.  There  were  Royal  carriages,  an 
escort  of  cavalry,  guard  of  honor,  band,  &c.,  in  attendance  at 
the  Observatory  Station,  in  the  outskirts  of  Athens,  where  the 
King  and  the  Prince  alighted,  and  a  greater  gathering  to  wel- 
come them  than  there  was  at  Piraeus. 

There  a  state  procession  was  formed  ;  all  who  took  part 
in  it  were  in  full  uniform.  The  carriages,  escorted  by  the  Che- 
vaux  L'egers,  set  out  at  a  slow  pace,  in  order  to  give  the  people 
an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  guest  of  their  King.  It  was  a  hot 
and  dusty  drive  from  the  station  to  the  palace,  but  the  great 
crowds  which  lined  the  streets  (6dbs  Atohw,  6dbs  'Epiwo,  &c.), 
and  filled  the  windows  and  balconies  along  the  route  to  bid  the 
Prince  welcome,  had  endured  the  fierce  rays  of  the  sun  and 
dust  of  the  roads  some  hours  before  he  appeared.  In  the 
present  day  there  are  few  distinctive  marks  about  the  dress  of 
the  better-off  classes  in  European  cities,  and  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  who  looked  with  so  much  interest  on  the  Royal 
visitor  and  his  suite  were  pretty  much  like  the  inhabitants  of 
any  other  large  town.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  an  esprit 
moqueur  about  the  crowd,  and  people  in  good  coats  and  hats 
pointed  at  the  novel  uniforms  with  more  freedom  than  is  usual 
in  Western  cities.  There  were  sprinklings  of  Greek  costumes 


24  THE   PRINCE    OF'  WALES'    TOUR. 

to  be  seen  here  and  there  among  the  poorer  sort,  and  a  large 
proportion  of  those  "  indescribables,"  with  unwashed  faces, 
and  felt  hats  of  strange  shapes  furnished  by  all  the  national- 
ities of  the  world,  who  may  be  seen  in  Levantine  towns.  And 
as  of  the  people  so  of  the  dwellings.  The  new  streets  are  formed 
in  right  lines  of  very  lofty  buildings  of  the  Haussmann  type. 
There  are  no  "  old  houses."  The  Acropolis  looks  down  proudly 
on  what  is,  take  it  all  in  all,  the  newest  city  out  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  rear  of  the  principal  streets,  which  are  nearly 
as  wide  as  those  of  Munich  or  of  modern  Paris,  are  lanes  of 
humble  cottages,  of  modern  construction  and  of  no  particular 
type,  "  the  huts  where  poor  men  lie."  But  with  this  newness 
of  look  there  was  one  thing  ever  before  our  eyes  during  the 
long  drive  to  the  Palace  which  prevented  our  forgetting  where  we 
were — the  characters  and  the  names  on  the  walls  and  the  shop 
fronts  which  exercised — well,  let  us  say — the  ingenuity  or  mem- 
ory of  the  suite,  and  afforded  them  a  distraction.  There  were 
many  flags  flying  in  the  street.  The  majority  were  Greek,  next 
Russian,  next  Italian,  then  English  and  French  ;  but  the  Crescent 
on  the  Red  Field  of  the  Turk  was  rare  indeed.  The  Athenians 
did  not  cheer,  but  they  talked  loudly,  and  a  buzzing  sound  pre- 
ceded the  cortege  ;  the  ladies  waved  handkerchiefs  from  the  win- 
dows ;  the  police,  who  are  dressed  like  infantry  soldiers,  had  not 
much  difficulty  in  keeping  line,  save  in  front  of  the  numerous 
cafes,  which  were  thronged  with  people  and  emitted  clouds  of 
tobacco-smoke.  Certainly  ten  men  out  of  eleven  smoked  cigar- 
ettes. 

The  aspect  of  the  Basilikon  is  imposing.  The  Palace  is 
well  placed  on  an  elevated  site  at  the  base  of  Mount  Lyca- 
bettus,  commanding  a  fine  view  towards  Hymettus  and  the 
mountains  on  one  side,  and  facing  the  modern  Place,  in  which 
are  the  principal  hotels.  The  portico,  the  colonnade,  and  much 
of  the  exterior  are  built  of  the  pure  white  marble  of  Pentelicus, 
which  towers  behind  it  in  the  distance  ;  and  much  of  the  interior 
is  decorated  with  or  constructed  of  the  same  beautiful  material. 
The  vast  hall  is  adorned  with  columns  of  marble  \  the  courts,  by 


THE    PALACE.  \tfS  2$ 

which  the  Palace  is  divided,  contain  two  of  the  loftiest  and  finest 
state  saloons  in  Europe,  which  are  only  used  for  great  banquets 
or  royal  festivities.  Great  corridors  run  along  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  Palace,  which  is  a  quadrangle  of  300  feet  by  280. 
On  the  first  floor,  which  is  at  a  great  height  from  the  basement, 
are  suites  of  rooms  of  large  dimensions — too  large  to  be  easily 
warmed  in  the  severe  cold  of  the  Attic  winter,  of  which  one  is 
reminded  by  the  German  stoves  in  the  corners  of  each  bed-room 
and  sitting-room.  The  King's  apartments  are  charmingly  com- 
fortable ;  the  Queen's  suite  bears  the  evidence  of  an  exquisite 
taste,  and  of  tendencies  which  in  an  English  house  would  be 
called  "ritualistic."  There  is  a  Greek  Chapel  in  the  Palace 
for  Her  Majesty,  and  for  those  of  her  attendants  and  others 
who  belong  to  the  Orthodox  Church ;  and  there  is  a  separate 
Chapel  for  the  King.  In  the  public  apartments  and  on  the 
terraces  there  are  some  pictures,  treated  in  the  heroic  manner, 
of  the  great  frescoes  of  Cornelius.  These  are  painted,  I  believe, 
by  Danes  or  Germans,  for  modern  Greece  has  not  yet  found 
her  Apelles.  From  the  front  windows  there  is  a  wide-spreading 
view  towards  the  city  and  the  country,  in  the  direction  of  the 
Piraeus,  and  a  glimpse  of  part  of  the  Acropolis. 

Before  the  entrance  there  was  a  guard  of  honor,  with  band 
and  colors,  a  company  of  infantry,  clad  in  uniform  with  some 
resemblance  to  that  of  the  French  line,  except  that  the  men 
did  not  indulge  in  garance  pantaloons.  On  the  steps  the  officers 
of  the  household  of  the  King  and  Queen,  and  a  crowd  of  func- 
tionaries, were  assembled,  many  of  them  in  the  picturesque  dress 
of  the  Court — which  was  adopted  by  King  Otho  to  please  the 
national  taste — gold-embroidered  jacket  and  vest,  sash,  stiff  white 
fustanelle,  a  cap,  like  a  fez  with  an  elongated  bag  decorated 
with  a  long  gold  tassel,  and  embroidered  gaiters.  There  was 
a  small  gathering  of  people  in  the  open  space  between  the  shrub- 
bery and  railings  which  fence  off  the  Place  from  the  front  of  the 
Palace,  for  in  Athens,  as  in  most  cities  which  boast  of  a  royal  resi- 
dence, there  is  no  restriction  on  the  use  by  the  public  of  the  walks 
about  the  Palace.  The  King  of  the  Hellenes  led  his  guest  into  the 


26  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

great  hall,  and  thence  to  the  royal  apartments.  Presently  those 
who  accompanied  the  Prince  were  summoned  to  the  saloon 
where  the  Queen  was  standing  with  her  children — the  Duke  of 
Sparta,  Prince  George,  the  Princess  Alexandra,  and  Prince 
Nicholas — and  the  ladies-in-waiting,  and  were  presented  to  her 
Majesty  by  his  Royal  Highness.  Her  Majesty's  manner  is  ex- 
ceedingly gracious,  and  for  each  she  had  a  kind  word,  and  for 
those  whom  she  had  known  before  a  little  speech,  which  proved 
she  had  a  Royal  memory.  Nor  did  she  forget  to  express  her 
great  regret  that  circumstances  had  prevented  the  Princess  of 
Wales  coming  so  far  with  the  Prince  on  his  way  to  India.  Then 
came  a  general  dispersion  to  the  rooms,  mostly  of  great  size  and 
well  found,  where  the  servants  were  already  unpacking  portman- 
teaus for  a  change  from  uniform  to  plain  clothes.  There  was  a 
little  difficulty  in  establishing  communications  between  the 
Greek  gentlemen-in-waiting  and  our  own  people  ;  even  Canon 
Duckworth,  whose  Greek  was  of  the  freshest  and  best,  was  at 
fault  when  he  came  to  "  hot  water  "  and  the  like.  The  High- 
landers in  the  Royal  train  were  especially  disappointed  in  the 
expectations  which  had  been  raised  in  their  breasts  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  kilted  Albanians,  that  Gaelic  would  serve  as  a  me- 
dium of  converse  ;  but  there  was  an  excellent  Corfiote  who  had 
picked  up  English  in  the  old  days  of  the  British  protectorate, 
and  there  were  German- speaking  men,  remanents  of  the  Othonic 
period  in  attendance,  and  so,  after  a  time,  all  things  went  pleas- 
antly and  well. 

The  King  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  went  out  for  a  drive  in 
mufti,  and  Mr.  Malet,  of  the  British  Legation,  came  to  the  Palace 
to  conduct  those  who  wished  to  see  the  Acropolis,  the  Theatre  of 
Bacchus,  and  as  many  of  the  sights  as  could  be  taken  in  before 
dinner.  There  is  no  city  in  the  world,  except  Cairo, — where 
spick-and-span  new  Italian  and  French  villas  smirk  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Pyramids, — which  presents  such  contrasts  between 
ancient  and  modern  civilization  as  Athens.  From  the  Acropo- 
lis you  see  the  smoke  of  tall  factory  chimneys,  rapidly  increasing 
in  number  near  the  port,  streaking  the  bright  blue  sky  of  Attica, 


THE    PALACE.  2/ 

and  the  railway  from  the  Piraeus  traversing  the  plain  where  once 
flowed,  and  now  trickle,  the  Cephissus  and  Ilissus.  Separated 
from  the  base  of  the  citadel  by  the  space  whereon  lie  the  Areopagus, 
the  Agora,  the  Theseum,  the  Pnyx,  the  Dionysiac  Theatre,  to  the 
w.  and  s.  w.  rise  the  streets  of  the  new  city,  its  Greek  churches,  and 
lofty  white  houses  glistening  in  the  sun,  and  the  imposing  public 
buildings  —  the  National  Academy,  the  University,  the  Poly- 
technic School,  and  the  Museum — which  indicate  that  there  is  a 
"living  Greece,"  and  that  learning,  science,  and  the  arts  are  re- 
membered in  the  land  of  their  birth.  These  appear  very  justly 
to  shun  the  fanes  of  the  older  city,  although  the  Temple  of  the 
Winds,  and  one  or  two  monuments  which  stood  outside  the 
boundaries  of  Athens,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Acropolis,  are  in- 
cluded within  the  limits  of  the  fast  growing  quarter  which  has 
the  brand  of  Munich  and  Paris  upon  it.  Since  the  Prince  was 
last  here  the  Venetian  Tower  has  been  removed  from  the  Acrop- 
olis, and  its  place  knows  it  no  more.  However  great  the  force 
of  the  aesthetical  reasons  for  the  demolition  may  have  been,  I 
am  not  sure  that  the  general  effect  of  the  grand  mass  of  ruins, 
as  seen  from  the  lower  ground,  has  not  been  injured  by  the  re- 
moval. 

At  dinner  the  young  Princes  came  to  their  places  at  table,  and 
when  dessert  was  over  took  leave,  going  round  to  each  guest, 
shaking  hands,  and  bidding  him  good- night  in  the  most  charming, 
frank,  and  pleasant  way.  The  boys  resemble  their  mother — blue, 
serious  eyes,  serene  brows,  and  wonderfully  fair  skins.  The 
Queen  expressed  much  interest  in  the  expedition,  and  seemed 
to  think  that  the  Princess  of  Wales  could  have  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  visiting  India  •  at  all  events,  "  she  thought  the  Princess 
might  have  come  as  far  as  Athens."  After  dinner  the  King  and 
Queen  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  drove  out  to  see  the  lighting  up 
of  the  rock  and  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Olympius,  which  was  wound 
up  by  a  very  effective  exhibition  of  fireworks,  with  clever  com- 
binations of  color,  including  an  escutcheon  of  the  Royal  Arms. 
But  surely  in  the  strict  application  of  TO  -t,i-»v  the  Acropolis 
ought  not  to  be  desecrated  by  fireworks  ?  Or  if  that  be  begging 


28  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

the  question  —  is  it  not  a  "  desecration  "  to  make  the  Acropolis 
the  scene  of  a  pyrotechnic  display  ?  Whilst  we  were  going  over 
the  Erechtheum  and  Parthenon  we  came  on  gangs  of  workmen 
fixing  the  stands  for  rockets,  Roman  candles,  and  similar  fenx 
tf  artifice  along  the  facades.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  dis- 
play pleased  thousands  of  spectators,  and  that  it  was  very  beau- 
tiful. The  great  crowd  which  assembled  to  see  the  Prince  and 
the  fireworks  behaved  with  much  consideration,  although  it  could 
not  be  expected  they  would  prove  utterly  indifferent  to  the  desire 
to  have  a  close  view  of  the  Royal  personages. 

The  King  was  delighted  with  his  presents  from  England, 
which  were  delivered  from  the  Serapis  in  the  afternoon.  There 
was  a  steam-launch,  an  Alderney  bull  and  cow,  a  ram  and  sheep, 
and  a  few  fine  specimens  of  the  British  pig,  which  came,  I  think, 
from  Sandringham. 

Tuesday,  October  19.  —  It  was  somewhat  amusing  to  make 
out  in  the  morning  paper,  the  "  Stoa,"  the  account  of  the  Prince's 
landing  yesterday,  which  appeared  under  the  date  of  October  yth, 
and  to  try  to  identify  the  persons  in  attendance  upon  the  Prince. 
Here  they  are  : 


2.   fO  Aopdoq    Zoixptekd,    Adpdos    iv    uxypsffta    xai    dp%7)yd<z 


3. 

4.  10  Xo%aY<j<;    rrjs    itpfairou    B.    <f>poupa<;    xai.     ux  0.071  tarys 


5.  (0  -/optuq  W.  H.  fPouffff£&   ixiTi/jLos  Idtatrepos  YPa!J-lJ-are*)S 


c/7.  J.  M.  f]  Baffifaffffa.  OTred^aro  rov  Upt^na  iv  ry  atdobffr]  TOO 
Spovoo  fyouffa  nap    auTr)  TTJV  fj.£fdkr)v  Kupiav  xai  raq  rpei 
i-xiTCfJLOuq  xupiaq. 

Td  iffr^paq^  ry  7  JJL.  fj..  idoOy  yeufj.a  els  o  £xATJ07]ffav  6  Kplff[3u<; 
xai   V   xvpfo   roy5  xa^  °f   duo)   ^/?a///jtar£l?  rrtq 
TilvTS  xa}  ol  i^7tq  dxrcu  : 
I.  C0   ivrtfjidraTot;    Sir    Bartle    Frere,    dvwrepoc;    raz  tap/us    roD 


MODERN    GREEK. 


Tdffj.aTo<;  TOO  'AffT^pos  TUJV  'I'sdtwv  xal   ra£tap%o<;  TOO  rdf^aroq  TOO 

A  OUT  pOO. 

2.  '0   bxoffTpdTOYos  Probyn  iratpoq    (compagnori)  TOO   AouTpoo, 
wstbrzpns  d^ni)fj.aTixoq  iv  riy    OTiypsffia  TOO  ttpifycrptos. 

3.  '0    d>;TiffuvTayfj.aTdpxr]7}<;    "ApOoopoq  Ellis    TWV   iirtUxTtov  TJ^ 
ApoopaSj  dvojTifios  dzuorjLaTtxos  x.  r.  A.,  UK;  dvajT^pw. 

4.  0  /..  Francis  Knollys  tfitatTepus  ypafjLfjLarebs  TOO  IIpiyxirjTroq. 

5.  '0  Fsvuos  yz  '.poop-foe;  Fayrer  M.  D.  iTcupos  TOO  vapoury  /j.oo 
TOO  Tdffiaros  TOO  'AffTiuoq  TUJV  '/v^aiv,  iuTpos  TOO  ripfyxyxoq. 

6.  '0   &it&icXofapxos  Adpdos  'AdpoAoz  Beresford,  OTraffxKTTrjS  TOO 


7.   '0  a>.8s(7i!J.u)raToq    Canon  Duckworth,   lepebs   TTJS   A.  M.  ry 


8.  eO  dvTtvauap%<><;  Drummond. 

'  ExToq  TUJV  avioTipu)  ffriiJ.eta)OivToj\>  datdexa,  TTJV  d.xoXooOiav  TOO 
TtpifXTj-xos  dicoretoufft  xal  ol  iZys  6xT(i)  : 

"i.  fO  bxoffTpdTrjYos  Aopdoq  'AA<f>p£do$  //ayer,  Ier  Ecuyer,  Sous- 
Marechal  Tit<;  A.  M.  TT/S  Batrdirttrr^. 

2.  '0  Kkotapyos  Honnaih  H.  Carr  Glynn,  iTa'tpoq  TOO  Tdy/j.aTo<; 
TOO  AooTpoo}  OTtaffKiffTris  T^q  BafftAtffffrjq,  Ko^tepv^T^q  TOO  dtxpoToo 


3.  0  ffovTay/j!.aTdp%r]S  Owen   Williams,  dunx^T^  TOO  ffuvTdy/j.aTo<; 
'  L<f>i7i~oo  @poopaz. 

4.  '0  oxoXoxafoq  Augustus  Fitz-George,  sxTaxToq  <37ra<r^£<rr^  TOO 

fzyxoc;. 

5.  '0    TaffjLaTdp%ys   2VavAetf   de  A.  C.    Clark   (J'  ffbvTayfj.a   TOJV 


6.  '0  xoftepvijTys  TOO  KupYutToo  Osborne  x.  Durrand. 

7.  (0  x.  'AlptpTos   Fpio    ISiaiTzpos  y/)a^^areL)<?  TOO   <fip  Bartle 
Frere. 

8.  eO  xattiTvs  Zudvef)  Hall 


We  were  warned  last  night  to  be  up  early,  as  the  day  was  to 
be  devoted  to  an  excursion  to  the  Royal  farm  and  country  house 
at  Tattoi',  about  two  hours  and  three-quarters'  quick  drive  from 
Athens.  The  house  is  situated  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain- 


3O  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

side  near  the  site  of  the  ancient  Dekelea,  which  closed  the 
most  eastern  pass  over  Parnes  into  Bceotia.  Not  very  long  ago 
the  robbers  who  rendered  travel  so  precarious  and  residence 
so  disagreeably  exciting  in  Greece,  very  much  affected  this 
vicinity.  When  I  write  of  these  gentry's  habitat  in  the  past  tense 
I  do  so  out  of  respect  for  recent  information,  but  I  am  bound  to 
say  that  the  road  from  outside  the  village  of  Marousi  up  to  the 
farm  of  Tattoi'was  patrolled  by  soldiers,  and  that  there  were 
cavalry  pickets  stationed  at  regular  intervals  all  the  way  in  addi- 
tion to  the  permanent  posts  of  infantry  who  were  observed  around 
the  small  block-houses  which  command  the  hill-tops.  It  was 
not  very  far  from  Tattoi'  that  Lord  Muncaster's  party  were  seized, 
and  the  tragedy  for  which  Greece  paid  so  dearly  commenced. 
Four  years  have  elapsed  since  the  occurrence  of  the  dreadful 
affair  calletf  "  the  Greek  massacre  ; "  and  the  indignation  excited 
in  civilized  Europe,  and  the  serious  consequences  to  the  Greek 
Government  which  ensued,  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  death 
of  "brigandage.  Mr.  Erskine  was  quite  right  when  he  said  in  his 
despatch  that  if  it  was  quite  understood  that  the  nation  would 
have  to  make  good  any  loss  inflicted  on  foreigners,  owing 
to  the  neglect  and  mismanagement  of  the  Government,  the 
latter  "  would  soon  discover  the  means  of  putting  as  top  .to  a 
state  of  things  which  is  mainly  due  to  the  supposed  exigencies 
of  party  warfare,  and  which  is  a  disgrace  to  any  community 
calling  itself  civilized."  M.  Zai'mes  was  then  Prime  Minister. 
General  Soutzo  was  Minister  of  War.  The  former  declared 
that  the  brigands  were  acting  in  concert  with  the  Chiefs  of  the 
Opposition.  There  were  men  who  had  declared,  months  before 
the  tragedy,  that  something  would  happen  which  would  bring 
about  a  crisis.  They  were  quite  right.  The  massacre  caused  a 
ministerial  crisis.  It  did  more — it  delivered  Greece  from  a 
national  curse. 

There  must  have  been,  judging  from  the  few  anecdotes  we 
heard  from  our  Gr  :ek  friends,  many  reminiscences  of  adven- 
tures on  the  road,  which  patriotism  probably  stifled  ;  but  it  would 
seem  as  if  the  brigandage  which  disgraced  the  neighborhood 


A   VISIT   TO   TATTOI.  31 

of  the  capital,  and  which  was  too  often  used  as  a  political 
instrument,  has  been  really  extirpated,  or  at  least  very  nearly 
suppressed. 

The  country  near  the  city  is  tolerably  fertile.  There  are 
large  tracts  of  uncultivated  land  before  we  reach  the  Cephissus ; 
but  in  the  olden  days  the  wastes  which  are  now  covered  with 
hibiscus,  thyme,  prickly  shrubs  and  weeds,  doubtless  bore  corn, 
olives,  and  fruit.  These  grow  abundantly  in  the  valleys,  where 
the  villages  nestle  in  orange-groves  and  vineyards,  because 
there  is  running  water,  though  it  is  nowhere  abundant. 

The  peasants  along  the  road  were  fine  hardy  fellows,  not 
differing  in  appearance  or  even  in  dress  very  much  from  the 
better  sort  of  contadini  in  Southern  Italy.  As  the  carriages, 
escorted  by  the  Chevaux  Legers,  who  retain  the  uniform  which 
King  Otho  adapted  from  Bavaria,  whirled  by  in  clouds  of  dust, 
the  wayfarers  touched  their  hats  or  stood  with  head  uncovered, 
and  then  continued  their  course,  not  stopping  to  look  back,  or 
seeming  to  take  much  further  interest  in  the  cortege,  but  quite 
respectful  whilst  in  the  presence.  There  were  relays  of  horses, 
guarded  by  the  pickets  on  the  road,  but  there  were  not,  as  there 
would  be  in  most  countries,  groups  of  people  near  at  hand  to 
watch  the  arrival  and  departure.  The  women  seemed  to. do  more 
than  divide  the  labor  of  the  fields  with  the  men.  There  is  a 
good  bridge  over  the  Cephissus,  which  ran — if  the  word  can  be 
applied  to  its  feeble  and  shrunken  thread,  which  almost  merits 
the  derisive  epithet  of  "  -Kodoviyrr^"  or  foot-bath — in  a  deep 
ravine,  with  great  boulders  along  its  course  ;  but  the  bed  had 
the  characteristics  of  that  of  a  torrent.  From  the  bridge  there 
was  a  steep  ascent,  and  the  road  climbed  a  steep  hill-side, 
covered  with  pine-trees  and  oak,  the  former  of  which  gave  out 
a  strong  resinous  odor.  For  about  an  hour's  drive  the  road 
wound  through  this  wood,  through  the  glades  of  which  were 
caught  bright  glimpses  of  the  sea  away  towards  Salamis  on  one 
side,  and  on  the  other  the  hill-fronts  gradually  rising  towards 
Marathon.  Then  there  came  the  marks  of  enclosure — fences 
and  walls  and  cleared  spaces  where  the  greensward  had  taken  the 


$2  THE    PRINCE   OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

place  of  oak  and  firs.  Finally  we  entered  a  wild  kind  of  park  and 
passed  along  an  avenue  to  the  King's  Villa,  which  is  like  a  large 
Swiss  chalet,  with  extensive  outhouses  and  offices.  There  are 
magnificent  trees  in  front  of  it,  and  breakfast  was  spread  on  a 


TATTOI. — COUNTRY   RESIDENCE  OF  THE  KING  OF  GREECE. 


table  in  the  open  air  beneath  their  shade.  There  was  a  wine  of 
very  curious  taste,  named  Resino,  which  the  King  commended 
for  sanitary  properties,  but  the  faces  made  by  those  who  tasted  it 
for  the  first  time  indicated  that,  like  the  late  Lord  Derby, 
they  would  prefer  enduring  any  normal  maladies  for  which  it 
might  be  a  specific  to  taking  the  medicine.  The  Farm,  in  which 
the  King  takes  great  pleasure,  was  visited  afterwards  ;  nor  was 
a  vineyard  close  to  the  chalet,  in  which  abounded  grapes  of  won- 
drous size  and  great  sweetness,  left  unnoticed.  In  the  park — if 
that  it  may  be  called  so  where  Nature  has  so  much  of  her 


ROYAL    BANQUET.  33 

own  sweet  way — there  is  a  Gazebo  or  Belvedere,  recently  erected, 
from  which  there  is  a  beautiful  view ;  and  here,  by  the  King's 
orders,  are  deposited  the  various  antiquities  which  from  time  to 
time  are  dug  up  by  the  laborers  in  making  drains  and  ponds. 
There  is  already  a  very  respectable  collection  of  cinerary  urns, 
fragments  of  statuary,  pottery,  portions  of  marble  columns  and 
capitals,  and  it  is  intended  to  make  further  researches.  Many 
of  these  were  found  near  the  site  of  Dekelea.  After  a  saunter 
through  the  very  charming  grounds  and  a  scamper  on  horseback, 
for  which  the  horses  of  the  King  and  of  the  Chevaux  Legers 
were  impressed,  the  party  set  out  on  the  return  to  Athens,  where 
there  was  to  be  a  grand  State  Banquet  at  the  Palace  in  the 
Prince's  honor.  My  companion,  Admiral  Sachtouris,  aide-de- 
camp to  the  King,  who  had  been  in  the  British  navy  and  is  an 
excellent  specimen  of  a  Greek  naval  officer,  told  some  inter- 
esting stories  of  his  native  island  of  Hydra,  which  still  furnishes 
the  best  sailors  to  the  Greek  navy,  royal  and  mercantile.  The 
island  not  very  long  ago  nearly  depopulated  itself  in  an  im- 
mense migration.  Not  less  than  4000  Hydriots  went  off  to  the 
United  States,  where  many  acquired  competence  and  where 
some  made  fortunes,  as  a  proof  of  which  they  sent  home  large 
sums  for  beneficent  purposes  ;  but  with  that  extraordinary  attach- 
ment to  abstract  "Greece,"  which  many  of  the  Greeks,  however, 
show  rather  in  their  death  than  in  their  life,  they  came  back  in 
old  age  to  their  native  island  to  die.  One  Hydriot  returned 
a  short  time  ago  "  an  Admiral  in  the  United  States  navy  "  (so 
said  Admiral  Sachtouris)  "  and  sought  in  vain  for  a  trace  of  his 
kindred  ;  "  and  so  went  away  once  more  to  America.  Not- 
withstanding that  extraordinary  drain,  Hydra  is  flourishing,  and 
still  keeps  up  its  supply  of  able  and  excellent  sailors. 

It  was  dark  before  Athens,  over  the  site  of  which  there 
was  a  bright  halo  from  the  illuminations  in  the  streets,  came  in 
view.  Anticipating  the  Prince's  return,  discharges  of  rockets 
were  going  on  from  the  Acropolis  and  from  the  ships  in  the  Piraeus 
which  lighted  up  plain  and  sea. 

The  streets  were  filled  with  masses  of  people,  through  which 
2*  3 


34  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

the  carriages  went  at  full  speed.  Balconies  crowded,  windows 
ablaze,  Chinese  and  Italian  lanterns  and  transparencies,  testified 
to  the  desire  of  the  Greeks  to  do  honor  to  the  guest  of  their 
King.  The  Banquet  gave  occasion  for  the  King  to  assemble  all 
that  was  eminent  in  public  life,  literature,  and  science  in  Athens. 
In  the  saloon  before  dinner  there  was  a  striking  scene.  Most 
of  the  older  men  of  the  company  appeared  iu  their  palikar 
dresses,  than  which  nothing  could  more  become  their  fine  faces 
and  figures.  Conspicuous  among  the  crowd,  which  glittered 
with  laces,  orders,  and  decorations,  moved  M.  Boulgaris,  a  most 
patriarchal-looking  old  man,  dressed  in  a  furred  robe  and  soutane, 
,with  a  skull-cap  on  his  massive  head,  a  bright,  keen,  eager 
eye  set  under  a  broad  brow,  and  a  face  like  that  of  Titian's 
"  Doge."  There  were  men,  too,  whose  names  are  familiar  to 
the  students  of  Greek  politics  as  those  of  leaders  of  Ministries 
which  last,  on  an  average,  some  half-dozen  months — M.  Tricoupi, 
now  in  power,  a  young  man  with  a  very  intelligent,  earnest,  and 
expressive  face,  M.  Zai'mes,  M.  Comoundouros,  M.  Deligeorgis, 
M.  Delyannis,  £c. —  each  representing  the  nucleus  of  possible 
combinations  of  party-men  uniting  to  obtain  power  and  oust  the 
men  in  office,  rather  than  distinctive  political  principles. 

Covers  for  120  were  laid  in  the  Great  Hall,  which  would  do 
credit  to  the  palace  of  an  Emperor,  and  is  finer  than  many  ban- 
queting-halls  where  monarchs  of  the  first  rank  give  their  feasts 
of  honor.  It  was  built,  if  I  mistake  not,  in  King  Otho's  time, 
and  displays  a  prodigious  wealth  of  the  purest  marble.  The 
immense  height  and  grand  dimensions  of  the  place  render  it 
possible  to  keep  the  air  tolerably  cool  wfyen  many  hundred 
of  wax  lights  are  burning.  The  cooking  was  French,  the  at- 
tendance Greek,  and  the  military  Band  played  often  enough  to 
take  off  the  stress  of  conversation.  There  were  no  speeches,  and 
only  two  toasts.  When  dessert  was  over,  the  Prince  took  the 
Queen's  arm,  and  led  her  forth,  followed  by  the  King  and  the 
company,  to  the  other  great  room,  where  ices,  &c.  were  served  ; 
and  a  conversazione  ensued,  which  lasted  an  hour  or  more. 
Many  presentations  were  made  to  the  Prince,  who  must  by  this 


CONSTITUTIONAL    TROUBLES.  35 

time  be  tolerably  well  acquainted  with  nearly  every  one  of  the 
busy,  restless  politicians  who  fret  and  fume  their  lives  away  in 
Athens.  They  put  one  in  mind  of  a  grand  intelligence — a  mind 
full  of  ardor  for  action — cased  in  a  puny  frame.  The  tene- 
ment of  Greek  clay  is  all  too  small  for  that  fiery  Attic  soul. 
The  men  of  Athens  maybe  still  "  dct<rtdatpu»vs<rr£p<tt"  but  they 
have  exchanged  the  direction  of  their  thoughts  now-a-days. 
;  hey  prefer  pictures  to  statues. 

The  descendants  of  the  rude  islanders, — who  were  in  a  state 
of  primeval  savageness,  fighting  for  their  lives  with  wild  beasts 
and  each  other,  armed  only  with  flint  weapons,  and  living  in 
caves,  at  the  time  when  the  dwellers  in  Athens  were  carrying 
philosophy  and  the  arts  to  a  pitch  of  excellence  which  has 
left  its  mark  above  our  highest  efforts — proud  of  steam-engines, 
iron-clads,  recent  empire,  immense  wealth,  and  prodigious  luxury 
— can  only  set  themselves  on  a  satisfactory  elevation  in  compar- 
ison with  modern  Greeks  by  assuming  that  the  latter  are  not 
descendants  of  the  ancient  races  of  Hellas.  The  Greeks  of 
this  latter  period  are  indeed  apt  to  swagger  as  if  each  of  them 
could  point  to  his  descent  from  Alcibiacles.  They  provoke  an 
ill-bred,  and  perhaps  unjustifiable,  disposition  to  draw  a  line 
somewhere,  and  to  cut  them  off  from  the  grand  inheritance  they 
claim — not  only  the  inheritance  of  the  past,  but  the  succession 
to  a  stupendous  future. 

The  affairs  of  Turkey  were  naturally  the  subject  of  much 
conversation,  but  the  statesmen  who  were  presented  to  the 
Prince  did  not  talk  politics.  The  insurrection  in  the  Herze- 
govina interests  every  one  at  Athens,  and  most  of  all  the  King, 
who,  young  as  he  is,  possesses  the  political  capacity  to  a  high 
degree,  and  foresees  the  risks  to  the  peace  of  Greece  and  of 
the  world  which  will  arise  from  the  prolongation  of  the  contest. 
At  present  there  is  no  outward  sign  of  dangerous  excitement,  but 
the  "Great  Idea"  is  not  dead — it  is  only  sleeping.  There  is 
a  fixed  idea  that  Turkey  must  break  up,  and  that  her  bankruptcy 
just  announced  points  to  a  speedy  dissolution,  which  some  say 
looks  suicidal.  Every  Greek  feels — most  sav — that  of  right, 


36  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Crete,  Epirus,  Thessaly,  and  half  of  Macedonia  should  be  theirs, 
and  that  they  have  a  clear  reversionary  right  to  Constantinople. 

There  was  some  trifle  to  relieve  the  solid  pudding  of  dis- 
course •  and  one  gentleman  said  that  when  he  saw  the  Serapis 
adrift  "  he  thought  she  was  going  to  destroy  the  whole  Greek 
navy  at  one  blow."  An  American  officer  added  that  the  Prince 
of  Wales  had  been  "most  liberal!  His  Royal  Highness  has 
made  the  King  a  present  of  a  bull,  cows,  sheep,  pigs,  and — two 
anchors." 

October  20. — I  desired  the  excellent  piper  Maclachlan,  who 
is  in  attendance  on  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  and  was  lent  to 
me — not  in  his  musical  capacity — to  call  me  early,  as  I  expected 
a  visitor — not  to  be  later  than  seven.  He  not  being  as  familiar 
with  Greek  as  with  Gaelic,  could  not  set  the  living  machinery 
connected  with  cold  and  hot  water  supply  for  bath  and  shaving 
in  order.  Any  way,  he  was  late  by  an  hour ;  and  so  it  was  that 
the  visitor  I  expected  came  in  and  found  me  in  bed.  The  visit, 
however,  was  not  in  vain  ;  and  for  an  hour  I  listened  to  most 
interesting  information  on  the  present  condition  of  Greece — 
the  difficulties  which  beset  her ;  the  admirable  qualities  of  the 
people  ;  the  causes  which  have  operated  to  retard  her  pro- 
gress, or  rather  to  prevent  its  more  rapid  march ;  and  the  out- 
look full  of  hope — if  a  few  "  ifs  "  be  happily  gratified.  To  find 
the  source  of  many  mischiefs,  it  was  only  necessary  to  place 
one's  hand  on  the  rock  which  well-meant  people  intended  as 
the  basis  of  a  splendid  national  edifice,  but  which  they  put 
over  the  mouth  of  a  well — the  Greek  Constitution.  My  inform- 
ant did  not  say  so,  nor  would  he  admit  anything  of  the  kind  ; 
but,  following  his  conversation  closely,  it  could  be  easily  seen 
that  all,  or  nearly  all  the  dangers  with  which  good  government 
in  Greece  was  threatened  arose  from  that  ridiculous  Constitution 
given  at  the  time  of  the  Independence.  , 

It  is  unnecessary  now  to  inquire  whether  the  National 
Assembly  of  Greece  was  or  was  not  responsible  for  the  Revo- 
lution of  1862,  which  drove  King  Otho  from  the  throne  after 
a  reign  of  twenty-nine  years ;  but  it  is  very  necessary  to  inquire 


CONSTITUTIONAL    TROUBLES.  37 

whether  the  present  condition  of  the  kingdom  is  such  as  satisfies 
the  just  expectations  of  the  Three  Powers,  which  formerly  gave, 
and  now  guarantee,  the  independence  of  Greece.  When  the 
National  Assembly,  in  March,  1863,  declared  a  young  Prince  T)f 
the  Royal  Family  of  Denmark  King  of  the  Hellenes,  under  the 
title  of  Giorgios  I.,  it  accepted  towards  the  Monarch,  then  a  lad 
of  eighteen  years  of  age,  responsibilities  which  have  hitherto 
been  repudiated  or  ignored.  Not  only  has  he  been  exposed  to 
misrepresentation  and  unjust  suspicions  on  the  part  of  some  of 
his  subjects,  but  he  has  been  deprived  by  the  selfish  struggles  of 
faction  of  the  support  in  his  office  on  which  a  Constitutional 
monarch  has  a  right  to  rely.  He  has  been  thwarted  and  opposed 
in  his  efforts  to  establish  good  government  by  continuous  intrigue, 
and  by  scarcely  concealed  disloyalty  and  ill-will.  Full  of  gener- 
ous sentiments,  animated  by  the  highest  motives,  and  "  con- 
sumed by  the  love  of  his  people,"  he  has  been  consistently,  if 
not  purposely,  baffled  in  his  endeavors  to  develop  the  resources 
of  the  country,  and  to  divert  the  thoughts  of  the  people  from 
vain  aspirations  after  Eastern  Empire  to  solid  industry  and  prac- 
tical improvement  of  the  resources  of  their  country.  There  is  in 
the  Royal  Palace  at  Athens  a  picture  of  Prometheus  bound  to 
the  rock,  with  the  vulture  tearing  at  his  side,  whilst  in  the  dis- 
tance appears  the  form  of  the  victim's  deliverer.  The  young 
King  may  be  pardoned  if  he  sees  in  the  work  a  subtle  allusion  to 
his  own  fate  ;  though  he  may  not  be  able  to  detect  the  means  of 
his  deliverance.  He  is  bound  in  chains  to  a  Constitution  which 
he  alone  of  all  men  is  forced  to  recognize.  The  most  bitter 
partisan  cannot  say  he  has  been  unmindful  of  his  oath,  or  ne- 
glectful of  his  duties.  For  twelve  years  he  has  only  been  absent 
from  his  kingdom  ten  months,  and  he  has  applied  himself  to 
the  serious  hard  work  of  kingcraft  with  an  assiduity  and  success 
which  have  won  the  admiration  of  his  ever-changing  Ministers. 
No  one  knows  Greece  better,  or  more  thoroughly  understands 
her  position  in  relation  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  Master  of 
the  language,  he  has  made  it  his  business  to  inquire  into  the 
working  of  every  public  department ;  and  no  lawyer  in  his  king- 


38  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'  TOUR. 

dom — and  there  are  many  lawyers  in  Greece — is  better  acquainted 
with  the  Constitution  with  which  she  is  afflicted.  But  all  these  high 
qualifications,  attributes,  and  aims  on  the  part  of  the  Chief  of 
the  state  are  rendered  almost  impotent  for  good  by  the  mischiev- 
ous activity  of  political  parties  which  that  Constitution  has,  if 
not  created,  at  least  encouraged.  The  normal  condition  of  the 
Government  is  "  crisis,"  and  as  there  are  no  political  internal 
questions  to  divide  the  members  of  the  Assembly  into  great 
parties,  the  King  has  to  deal  with  men  who  only  represent  their 
own  interests  and  the  cupidity  of  their  followers.  There  remain, 
then,  not  measures  but  men  —  not  policies  but  passions  —  not 
wholesome  political  strife,  but  personal  intrigue  and  self-seeking. 
The  doctrinaires ',  and  the  party  which  advocated  "  The  Great 
Idea,"  have  received  a  severe  blow  by  the  fate  of  the  Cretan 
Insurrection,  and  are  at  present  quiescent,  or  have,  at  least,  de- 
sisted from  an  open  propaganda  ;  but  they  still  exist.  "  I  do  not 
say,"  observed  a  foreign  statesman,  who  knows  Greece  well, 
"  that  M.  Comoundouros,  M.  Delige'orgis,  M.  Zaimes,  M.  Dely- 
annis,  or  M.  Boulgaris  have  no  individual  views  :  on  the  con- 
trary, the  latter,  at  all  events,  has  very  decided  intentions,  and 
would  be  a  man  of  action  if  the  means  were  at  his  disposal ;  but 
that  any  differences  of  opinion  on  public  questions  which  may 
exist  between  the  leaders  of  parties  are  not  considered  for  a 
moment  if  a  movement  or  combination  be  needed  to  turn  out  the 
adversary  of  the  hour,  who  is  an  adversary  because  he  is  in  place, 
and  that  the  facility  with  which  such  combinations  are  effected 
is,  owing  to  the  working  of  the  Constitution,  destructive  of  any 
hope  of  a  stable  Government,  and  of  permanent  improvement 
and  progress."  There  are  neither  Tories  nor  Whigs,  Conserva- 
tives, Liberals,  nor  Radicals  in  Greece ;  and,  with  one  exception, 
the  men  who  come  in  and  the  men  who  go  out,  work  in  the  same 
lines  in  and  out  of  power.  The  present  Assembly  consists  of 
1 88  members,  and  according  to  the  Constitution  there  must  be 
an  absolute  majority  of  all  the  members  to  enable  a  Minister  to 
carry  a  measure.  The  Premier  of  the  day  cannot  continue  in 
office  if  he  cannot  command  the  votes  of  ninety-five  followers  ; 


GREEK    POLITICS.  39 

and  when  the  Tricoupi  Cabinet,  which  came  into  power  to  pre- 
side over  the  creation  of  the  Assembly  which  has  just  finished 
the  verification  of  the  returns  of  its  members,  found  that  it 
could  only  muster  thirty  votes,  and  that  M.  Comoundouros,  M. 
Zaimes,  and  Delige'orgis  would  not  support  it,  there  was  no  choice 
left  to  M.  Tricoupi  but  to  resign.  When  a  Minister  is  forced  to 
take  such  a  step  in  England,  he.  advises  the  Queen  to  send  for 
the  leader  of  the  party  which  has  sat  at  the  other  side  of  the 
House  during  his  term  of  office,  and  the  King  of  Greece  has 
hitherto  generally  acted  on  a  similar  principle,  and  has  called  in 
the  statesman  who  commanded  the  largest  number  of  adherents. 
That  gentleman  usually  accepted  office  with  alacrity,  and  informed 
the  King  he  had  such  promises  of  support  as  enabled  him  to 
look  forward  with  confidence  to  the  formation  of  an  enduring 
Ministry.  So  it  was  some  years  ago  when  M.  Comoundouros 
came  into  power,  and  M.  Zaimes  and  M.  Deligeorgis  assured  the 
King  they  would  give  him  their  aid  ;  but  in  a  few  hours  these 
gentlemen  united  their  forces  once  more,  and  turned  M.  Comoun- 
douros out.  At  the  present  moment,  the  men  whose  names 
head  the  list  of  candidates  for  place  can  muster,  as  near  as  can 
be  judged,  the  following  number  of  votes  : — 

Comoundouros      .  ....  60 

Zaimes          .         .  ".         .        .        .  40 

Deligeorgis   .        .        .  .        .        .  35 

Tricoupi 20 

Delyannis 15 

Boulgaris 13 

183 

If  M.  Comoundouros,  elected  President,  seeks  to  form  a 
Cabinet,  he  must  come  to  the  King,  for  the  King  will  not  send 
for  him.  When  he  appears  his  Majesty  will  have  a  right  to 
demand  some  guarantees  that  he  can  command  a  majority,  and 
that  he  will  not  expose  him  to  another  "  crisis  "  in  a  few  days  ; 
but  as  the  other  leaders  have  already  broken  their  promises,  it 
is  not  probable  that  the  King  will  be  satisfied  with  anything  short 


4O  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

of  a  written  promise  that  those  who  induce  M.  Comoundouros 
to  come  forward  will  sign  a  declaration  of  their  readiness  to  sup- 
port him  when  he  is  placed  in  office.  The  directness  of  his 
honest  Danish  nature,  fortified  by  his  youthful  education  at  sea, 
is  evidenced  in  every  act  of  his  public  life,  and  it  disconcerts  the 
subtlety  of  Greek  politicians  much  more  than  any  finesse.  Not 
that  the  King  is  by  any  means  deficient  in  tact  or  statecraft,  but 
that  he  conceives  it  is  safer  to  follow  a  straight  course  than  a 
crooked  one.  Hitherto  he  has  steered  his  course  through  a  sea 
of  troubles  with  extraordinary  skill  and  judgment,  but  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  there  are  great  trials  in  store  for  him. 

The  Chanson  de  depart  sounded  early  in  the  Palace.  A  gen- 
eral packing-up — one  stage  more  in  the  journey  eastward  to  be 
made ;  the  short  visit  to  Athens  terminates  to-day.  The  King, 
attended  by  his  constant  companion,  a  splendid  Danish  boar- 
hound,  who  has  a  little  wee  black  doggie  to  wait  on  him  in  turn, 
came  round  the  corridors,  and  paid  visits  to  the  suite. 

There  was  a  reception  by  the  King  and  Queen  after  breakfast, 
and  subsequently  those  who  had  not  received  the  honor  on  a 
former  occasion,  were  decorated  by  the  King  with  the  Order  of 
the  Redeemer,  and  made  Grand  Crosses,  &c.  The  departure  of 
the  Prince  from  the  Palace  was  made,  as  he  came,  in  state,  and 
he  was  accompanied  by  the  King  and  Queen,  and  by  several 
members  of  their  Court,  to  the  Station,  and  thence  to  the  Piraeus, 
where  arrangements  had  been  made  for  an  excursion  to  sea. 
There  was  a  Guard  of  Honor,  an  escort  of  the  Chevaux  Legers, 
and  a  considerable  crowd  outside  the  portico  and  in  the  square 
before  the  entrance.  The  officials  and  the  servitors  of  the  Pal- 
ace, in  very  picturesque  uniforms  and  costumes,  rich  with  embroid- 
ery, but  wearing  that  head-dress  already  described,  which,  for  all 
its  long  tassel,  puts  one  in  mind  of  the  Turkish  fez,  were  drawn 
up  in  order  in  the  corridor  and  hall.  The  Prince  and  suite  were 
en  grande  tenue,  and  as  they  drove  through  the  streets  to  the 
train,  it  seemed  as  if  the  crowd  were  more  warm  in  their  greeting 
and  a  little  more  demonstrative  in  their  marks  of  respect.  There 
was  certainly  more  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  cheers.  The 


OUT    OF    THE    PIRAEUS.  4! 

Athenians  were  evidently  acting  on  one  part  of  the  Homeric 
advice — to  speed  the  parting  guest. 

There  was  a  strong  breeze  blowing  seawards,  and  the  scene 
looked  as  bright  and  beautiful  as  it  did  on  the  morning  of  our 
arrival.  Under  a  thundering  salute  from  the  Hercules  and  Swift- 
sure^  the  Greek  gunboats  and  the  Russian  stationnaire,  Psezouape 
the  King,  the  Queen,  and  the  Prince  went  off,  to  the  Serapis 
which  had  her  steam  up  ready  to  start.  By  the  aid  of  divers, 
after  much  hard  work,  she  had  managed  to  recover  both  her  an- 
chors by  noon  to-day.  Admiral  BoutakofT,  Admiral  Drummond, 
&c.,  were  invited  to  breakfast,  to  which  so  many  were  bidden 
that  even  the  great  length  and  breadth  of  the  Serapis  could 
scarcely  furnish  room  for  them.  After  luncheon,  the  King  and 
the  Prince  went  on  board  the  Hercules,  and  soon  after  their  re- 
turn the  Serapis  stood  out  to  sea  ;  but  not  quite  without  another 
trouble,  for,  as  they  were  weighing  anchor,  it  was  found  that 
her  cable  had  fouled  the  cable  or  the  anchor  of  the  Hercules — 
and  she  was  obliged  to  leave  it — No.  3  lost  pro  tern. — in  the 
Piraeus.  Then,  just  when  she  had  got  under  way,  and  her 
head  was  pointed  to  the  narrow  channel  between  the  marks,  the 
Assyrien,  a  French  steamer,  steamed  right  in  her  course,  and 
threatened  to  make  a  collision  or  taking  the  ground  inevitable. 
These  are  things  of  a  sort  to  try  the  marine  temper.  As  the  two 
vessels  scraped  past  each  other,  Captain  Glyn  probably  was 
thoroughly  glad  to  be  out  of  the  Piraeus,  where  he  seemed  at  one 
time  likely  to  make  a  longer  stay  than  would  have  been  altogether 
agreeable,  and  felt  that  the  Frenchman  was,  at  all  events,  not 
polite.  The  Amphitrite  and  the  Osborne  followed  astern.  The 
weather  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  their  Majesties  were 
apparently  delighted  by  the  excursion  to  sea.  There  was  an 
exchange  of  souvenirs,  photographs,  &c.  The  Band  played 
nearly  all  day.  Tea  was  served  on  deck,  and  then  came  a  state 
dinner,  in  levee  dress.  Night  fell, — deep  blue,  not  black, — her 
mantle  studded  with  stars.  Then  up  rose  the  moon  ;  not  yellow, 
but  brightest  silver.  It  is  only  further  west  that  "  the  sun  looks 
like  the  moon,  and  the  moon  looks  like  a  cheese.  "  The  Greek 


42  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

% 

fishers  must  have  gazed  in  wonder  on  the  Serapis,  a  phantom 
argosy  of  white  and  gold,  all  her  ports  gleaming  high  above  the 
wave ;  her  attendant  yachts  hung  with  lanterns,  which  scarcely 
vibrated,  so  placid  was  the  sea.  The  island  of  Hydra  was  report- 
ed in  sight,  seven  miles  on  the  starboard  beam,  the  island  of  St. 
George  on  our  port-quarter.  It  was  now  10  P.M.  The  Serapis 
and  her  consorts  lay-to.  The  steam-launch  was  in  readiness ; 
the  crew  manned  the  sides  ;  as  the  King  and  Queen  appeared  on 
the  main-deck  and  took  leave  of  the  Prince,  ere  they  stepped 
down  the  companion,  the  Marines  presented  arms,  and  the  band 
played  the  Greek  national  anthem.  At  the  instant  the  bulwarks 
of  the  Serapis,  in  the  ports  of  which  lights  were  placed  from  stem 
to  stern,  were  lined  by  the  crew  burning  blue  fires  ;  and  at  the 
yard-arms,  up  to  the  royals,  appeared,  bright  as  if  in  the  sunshine, 
sailors  with  blazing  portfires.  And  then  what  a  sight  it  must 
have  been  for  those  out  at  sea,  and  to  the  dwellers  in  the  islands, 
when  the  Serapis  and  Osborne  burst  into  active  eruption,  with 
maroons,  shells,  and  fountains  o'f  many-colored  flame,  and, 
vicing  with  each  other,  sent  flights  of  hundred  of  rockets  into 
the  sky,  where  they  seemed  to  wage  a  mimic  war  and  to  sow  the 
heavens  with  new  but  evanescent  constellations  !  The  effect, 
even  to  those  on  board,  was  very  beautiful  ;  the  Serapis  admired 
the  Osborne,  as  she  no  doubt  was  admired  by  the  Osborne  and 
the  Greek  yacht.  There  was  but  one  inconvenience  from  the 
beautiful  display,  and  that  was  caused  by  the  dropping  of  the 
burning  composition  into  the  launch  ere  it  could  be  shoved  off, 
and  some  little  damage,  or  fear  of  it,  to  the  dresses  of  the  occu- 
pants. The  Prince  went  off  to  the  Amphitrite  and  took  leave 
of  their  Majesties  under  their  own  flag ;  when  he  came  on  board 
again,  the  Serapis  and  Osborne,  with  parting  cheers  and  bouquets 
of  rockets,  steered  their  course  for  Port  Said,  and  the  King  and 
Queen  returned  to  their  famous  but  agitated  little  capital. 


.."  > 


KING  AND  QUEEN   OF 'GREECE  LEAVING  THE  "  SERAPIS.' 


STUDYING  RELIEF  MAP. 


CHAPTER  II. 
FROM  THE  PIR^US  TO  GRAND  CAIRO. 

Theatre  Royal,  Serapis — Sports  and  Pastimes — The  Saloon — Port  Said — 
The  Suez  Canal— Ismailia— The  Palace  of  Gezireh— The  Khedive- 
Investiture  of  Prince  Tewfik — The  Pyramids — "  Why  go  to  India  ?  " — 
Departure  from  Cairo — Farewell  to  Suez. 

OCTOBER  21. — At  dawn  Crete  was  in  sight  on  our  starboard 
bow.  Surely  there  never  was  more  stately  ship  nor  gentler  for- 
tune in  these  waters  !  Not  a  breath  of  wind.  The  crew  beat  to 
quarters,  and  were  exercised  at  putting  out  an  imaginary  fire,  and 
in  closing  the  water-tight  compartments,  to  which  recent  occur- 
rences at  sea  had  given  unusual  interest.  The  sectional  drawing 
of  the  Serapis  which  is  nailed  up  on  the  main-deck  forward  is 
awful  to  contemplate.  It  represents  a  mighty  maze  of  pipes, 


THEATRE    ROYAL,    "  SERAPIS.  45 

v  lives,  stop-cocks,  and  machinery,  which  sets  one  thinking ;  and 
Mr.  Hulton,  the  first  lieutenant,  who  is  always  working  down 
below,  said  it  was  a  week's  hard  practical  study  to  master  the 
secrets  of  our  floating  prison-house.  At  noon  the  thermometer 
marked  70°.  The  awning  fenced  off  the  sun's  rays,  but  they 
glanced  fiercely  from  the  bright  blue  sea,  which  spread  out  sail- 
less,  birdless,  and  apparently  fishless,  to  desolate-looking  San- 
torin.  In  the  afternoon  there  was  a  gentle  breeze  right  astern, 
the  sea  crisply  lapping  the  sides  of  the  ship,  which  was  so  steady 
that  the  Prince  and  his  friends  could  play  deck  tennis,  an  adap- 
tation of  lawn  tennis,  which  did  very  well  indeed,  only  that  the 
balls  were  apt  to  fly  overboard.  Whereupon  it  was  enacted  that 
he  who  knocked  a  ball  overboard  should  pay  one  sovereign  fine  ; 
howbeit  at  the  end  of  the  voyage  there  were  less  balls  out  of  the 
many  provided  than  sovereigns,  but  that  was  a  matter  of  detail. 
Pistol  practice  at  marks  hung  to  the  yard-arms  varied  the  tennis- 
playing. 

In  the  evening,  the  Prince  and  the  company  repaired  to  the 
after-part  of  the  quarter-deck,  on  the  starboard  side,  where  a  very 
pretty  little  theatre  had  been  set  up.  Chairs  were  placed  on 
deck  from  the  wheelhouse  forward  to  the  companion.  Behind 
these  were  ranged  the  picturesque  masses  of  the  crew  and  the 
marines,  some  in  the  rigging  and  mizen  chains,  others  on  the 
bulwarks — a  very  attentive  and  enthusiastic  audience.  There 
was  a  drop-scene,  well  executed  by  one  of  the  men,  representing 
the  Serapis  leaving  Portsmouth.  When  the  curtain  was  raised 
it  revealed  an  elevated  stage  of  moderate  capacity,  provided 
with  a  piano  and  the  inevitable  troop  of  Ethiopian  Serenaders, 
furnished  by  the  bandsmen,  sailors,  and  marines.  The  stage 
manager  was  Mr.  Smith  Dorrien,  one  of  the  lieutenants,  and  the 
theatrical  company  was  furnished  by  the  ship's  crew  ;  the  Mag- 
nus Apollo  was  an  A.B.  sailor  named  Spry, — a  fine,  manly-look- 
ing tar,  with  a  big  beard,  and  a  burly  voice,  and  with  a  turn  for 
versification,  for  which  the  rules  of  rhyming  needed  to  be  stretch- 
ed a  little.  He  was  evidently  a  favorite  with  the  crew,  for  before 
he  had  said  a  word  he  was  cheered,  and  his  song  on  "  Optiona 


46  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Cocoa "  was  received  with  wild  enthusiasm.  Now  "  Optional 
Cocoa  "  seemed  a  recondite  subject,  but  it  was  one  well  known 
to  his  audience.  They  roared  at  every  satiric  touch  of  Mr.  Spry, 
as  he  recounted  his  experience  of  life  as  one  of  the  seamen  on 
board  a  ship  of  the  Channel  squadron,  in  which,  by  the  Admi- 
ral's orders,  it  was  "  optional  "  for  the  crew  to  take  a  cup  of  cocoa 
in  lieu  of  some  more  stimulating  beverage.  The  entertainment 
was  diversified  by  clog-dances,  hornpipes,  sentimental  ditties, 
and  "  regular  fore-bitters,"  by  various  legs  and  voices,  and  it  was 
brought  to  a  close  at  n  o'clock  by  "God  save  the  Queen,"  sung 
by  the  company  with  a  chorus  from  the  audience,  and  the  ship's 
company,  Prince  and  all,  standing  with  heads  uncovered.  All 
the  men  enjoyed  it  very  much,  and  the  encouragement  given  by 
the  Prince's  presence  was  very  grateful  to  those  concerned  in 
providing  so  much  harmless  pleasure  for  their  fellows. 
The  following  was  the  programme  : 

H.M.S.  "SERAPIS." 

CHRISTY'S  MINSTRELS, 

2ist  OCTOBER,  1875. 

PART  I. 

OVERTURE Encore      BAND. 

OPENING  CHORUS     "  We  niggers  are  free "    .     .    .    .   COMPANY. 

SOLO "  Pretty  little  dark  eyes  " SEIDON. 

SOLO Napolitaine SNELL. 

COMIC "  Hat  and  Feather  " BRANDON. 

COMIC "  Kingdom's  Coming "    .    .    .    .      HOLMES. 

PART  II. 

SOLO "Nellie's  Answer" COSTER. 

COMIC  SKETCH  ..."  Statue  Blanchia  "  HOLMES  &  BRANDON. 

DANCE Break  Down      .    .     .    DUFF  &  HILL. 

COMIC "King  Coffee  Dust" SPRY. 

PLANTATION Walk  Round    ....      COMPANY. 

October  22. — Dr.  Fayrer,  full  of  hygienic  wisdom  and  sani- 


PORT    ?AII).  47 

tary  precautions,  gave  counsel  yester8*^Sjliiffi^g^nerous  energy 
of  the  French  chef  should  be  restrained  ;  that  the  number  of  hot 
dishes  at  breakfast  should  be  reduced  to  two ;  that  attendance 
at  lunch  should  be,  like  cocoa  in  the  Channel  squadron,  "option- 
al ; "  and  that  three  courses  at  least  should  be  struck  off  the 
dinner  menu ;  and  next  (this)  morning  the  new  rules  came  into 
effect.  All  day  the  Serapis  screwed  steadily  along  with  her 
head  pointed  Egyptwards,  the  Osborne  following  at  her  prescribed 
distance.  There  were  many  means  of  passing  the  time  pleas- 
antly on  board  in  such  fine  weather.  There  was  a  large  relief 
chart  of  India  against  the  side  of  the  Prince's  sitting-room  to 
study.  There  were  many  books — novels  in  French  and  English, 
voyages  and  travels,  works  relating  to  India,  biographies,  history, 
and  literature,  heavy  and  light — in  the  drawing-room  bookcases  ; 
and  there  was  another  smaller  collection  in  the  quarter-deck 
saloon.  There  were  chess  and  backgammon  boards  in  the 
saloon — seldom  used,  however,  as  the  attractions  of  tennis  were 
greater,  and  there  were  pistol  practice  and  the  general  amuse- 
ments of  the  deck,  such  ,as  quoits  and  ball.  There  were  letters 
to  be  written. at  the  many  well-furnished  writing-tables  ;  a  little 
music  to  listen  to  when  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg  or  some 
other  less  gifted  amateur  could  spare  half-an-hour  ;  inspections 
of  the  horses  and  animals  ;  visits  to  the  bridge,  to  the  ward-room  ; 
and  there  was  last,  not  least,  the  never-failing  solace  of  a  siesta 
in  one's  cabin  when  the  pen  began  to  falter  and  the  words  on 
the  paper  danced  before  the  wearied  eyes. 

October  23. — The  speed  of  the  vessel  was  once  more  reduced 
to  eight  knots,  as  it  was  when  we  were  running  for  the  Piraeus, 
lest  the  vessels  should  arrive  to  soon  at  Port  Said  ;  but  at  dawn, 
this  morning,  the  look-out  man  reported  that  the  harbor-light 
was  in  sight.  The  engines  slowed,  until  the  little  squadron  only 
just  crept  through  the  discolored  sea,  for  we  were  still  too  early. 
The  land-fall  of  Port  Said  is  not  easy,  for  the  strip  of  beach  on 
which  the  town  stands  is  not  six  feet  above  the  water-level  ;  but 
the  Light  House  is  very  lofty,  and  there  are  also  a  few  date-trees 
to  mark  the  site,  and  close  to  them  there  were  now  visible  a 


48  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'1  TOUR. 

clump  of  masts  and  rigging,  and  a  tall  flag-staff  which  seemed  to 
rise  from  the  sea.  At  7.30  A.M.  those  on  the  deck  of  the  Sera- 
pis  could  distinguish  the  color  of  the  flags  flying  from  the  Con- 
sulates on  shore,  and  from  the  shipping  inside  the  breakwater, 
conspicuous  among  which  were  H.M.SS.  Invincible  and  Pallas, 
which  had  arrived  from  Brindisi.  The  men-of-war  and  the 
Egyptian  yacht  Mahsa  saluted  as  soon  as  they  made  out  the  Roy- 
al Standard.  At  8.30  A.M.  the  Serapis  and  Osborne  entered  the 
Canal,  and  proceeded  slowly  ahead  between  the  two  breakwaters 
to  their  moorings  off  the  Custom  House  ;  the  Invincible,  Pallas, 
and  Egyptian  frigates  manning  yards  and  cheering  ;  the  bands 
on  deck  playing  "  God  save  the  Queen  ; "  and  a  guard  of  honor 
of  Egyptian  infantry  drawn  up  on  shore,  with  band  and  colors, 
presenting  arms  and  saluting  with  martial  flourishes  of  trumpets. 
Port  Said  has  ample  stores  of  bunting;  and  there  was  a 
great  display  of  it;  but  the  people  were  not  very  demonstrative, 
and  although  there  was  a  considerable  crowd  of  the  dwellers  in 
that  accident — which  cannot  be  called  lucky  for  them,  at  all 
events — on  shore,  there  was  not  any  cheering.  There  was  some 
curiosity  shown  by  the  population  near  the  shore,  but  the  coal- 
heavers  and  the  dredgers  went  on  with  their  work  as  usual,  and 
people  were  to  be  seen  up  the  long  sandy  streets,  lined  by  wooden 
huts,  who  could  not  be  tempted  to  the  water's  edge  to  look  at 
the  Royal  personages  and  their  suites  in  all  the  splendor  of  full- 
dress  uniform.  The  bulk  of  the  people  are  French  by  birth  or 
naturalization.  Certainly  they  are^  French  by  feeling,  and  they 
still  cherish  the  recollection  of  the  hostility  England  displayed 
to  the  enterprise,  to  the  success  of  which  she  now  so  largely 
contributes.  It  is  the  most  curious  spot  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 
On  the  strip  of  land  between  Lake  Menzaleh  and  the  sea  there 
is  pitched  tent-like  on  the  loose  sand,  which  rises  over  the  shoes 
where  asphalte  or  planking  has  not  been  deposited,  a  city  of 
wooden  houses,  laid  in  perfect  parallelograms,  and  furnished  with 
shops  and  magazines,  where  every  article  of  European  luxury  can 
be  had.  Outside,  on  the  same  belt  of  sand,  in  a  condition  akin 
to  savagery,  there  is  a  settlement  of  Arabs.  The  commerce  of 


SUEZ    CANAL.  49 

one  quarter  of  the  world  passes  by  the  city,  but  few  traders  land, 
and  none  remain  there.  The  population,  which  probably  exceeds 
15,000,  lives,  however,  on  the  crumbs  of  that  commerce  ;  and  the 
most  singular  fact  connected  with  this  singular  place  is 
that  the  whole  of  the  towns-people,  and  of  the  natives 
around  it,  depend  for  fresh  water  on  the  work  of  a  steam- 
engine  sixty  miles  away,  which  drives  it  from  the  Sweet- 
water  Canal  at  Ismailia  to  feed  the  reservoirs  at  Port  Said.  Per- 
haps there  is  no  place  in  the  world  which  contains  members  of 
so  many  different  nationalities.  In  addition  to  the  Arabs  and 
fellaheen,  every  European  country  has  representatives — Tunisi- 
ans, Algerines,  Syrians,  Moors,  Hindostanees,  Persians,Chinamen 
— who  mingle  with  people  from  all  the  isles  of  the  sea,  and  yet, 
I  was  told,  that  serious  crimes  are  not  frequent.  The  place  has 
created  itself  and  its  police  ;  but  Port  Said,  as  all  the  world  knows, 
owes  its  existence  to  M.  de  Lesseps'  determining  that  the  end 
of  the  Canal — or  the  beginning,  if  you  like  it  better — should  be 
at  this  precise  point.  It  was  but  a  point  on  the  sea-beach  extend- 
ing from  Damietta  to  the  coast  of  Palestine,  and  it  was  selected 
to  be  the  site  of  the  Port  because  the  sea-soundings  off  that 
point  gave  greater  depth  of  water  than  at  other  points  in  the 
curve. 

As  soon  as  the  Serapis  was  abreast  of  the  quay  of  the  Custom 
House,  where  the  guard  of  honor  was  stationed,  Major-General 
Stanton,  Consul-General.  came  on  board  to  pay  his  respects, 
and  to  take  orders  respecting  the  arrangement  for  the  journey  on 
to  Cairo.  There  was  a  great  "  turning  of  keys  and  grating  of 
locks  "  as  baggage  was  sorted  out  to  be  transferred  to  the  Os- 
borne,  and  a  mighty  hurrying  to  and  fro  on  the  main-deck  to  get 
all  things  in  readiness.  A  State  pinnace  put  off  from  the  Egyp- 
tian yacht,  with  the  Princes  Tewfik,  Hussein,  and  Hassan,  in 
very  rich  uniforms.  They  were  accompanied  by  Nubar  Pasha, 
Mustapha  Pasha,  and  other  officers  of  the  Khedive's  Court. 

The  Prince  had  on  his  Indian  helmet  and  plume,  blue  undress 
frock  coat,  with  Field-Marshal's  insignia,  and  white  trousers — 
the  suite  according  to  order.  The  helmet  is  a  very  presentable 
3  4 


5O  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

head-dress.  The  military  men  wear  a  veritable pickel-haube,  with  a 
spike  on  the  top  like  the  end  of  a  classical  spear  ;  gilt  for  regu- 
lars, silver  for  yeomanry  and  militia,  metal  scale  chin-straps  to 
match.  The  civilians  rejoice  in  a  brass  or  gilt  knob  instead  of  a 
spike  (less  dangerous  in  thunder-storms)  ;  but  after  their  arrival 
in  India  it  was  found  that  the  metal  chin-scales  were  not  legiti- 
mate, and  that  there  was  nothing  like  leather  for  them,  and  the 
scales  were  accordingly  lightened.  The  Prince  received  the  Egyp- 
tian Princes  with  much  warmth,  and  engaged  in  conversation 
with  them  until  they  rose  to  return  to  their  yacht,  which  was  to 
follow  the  Osborne. 

In  future  it  will  be  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  "  the  Prince 
was  accompanied  by  the  members  of  his  suite"  It  may  be  taken 
for  granted  that  ^neas  was  always  followed  by  his  faithful 
friends, — "  Fortis  Gyas,fortisque  Cloanthus" — and  that,  as  far 
as  outward  adornment  in  the  matter  of  uniform  was  concerned, 
their  appearance  was  regulated  by  that  of  his  Royal  Highness. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Egyptians,  the  light  baggage  hav- 
ing been  transferred  to  the  Osborne,  the  Prince,  attended  by 
Major-General  Stanton,  shifted  his  flag  from  the  Serapis  to  the 
Osborne,  which  went  up  the  Canal,  with  the  Royal  flag  flying 
at  the  main  and  the  Egyptian  at  the  fore,  at  ten  knots  an  hour, 
under  a  salute  from  the  Invincible  which  made  the  wooden  habi- 
tations of  Port  Said  shake  to  their  not  very  stable  foundations. 

The  last  time  a  Royal  Standard  floating  over  these  waters  in- 
dicated the  presence  of  the  head  of  a  great  Power,  was  when  the 
Empress  Eugenie,  leading  one  of  the  most  glorious  naval  proces- 
sions ever  witnessed  in  the  world,  opened  the  Suez  Canal,  along 
which  we  were  now  speeding  towards  Ismailia.  It  was  certainly 
a  tribute  to  the  genius  and  insistence  of  Baron  de  Lesseps  that 
the  Heir  to  the  English  Throne  should  be  seeking  India  by  a 
route  the  idea  of  which  was  so  much  in  disfavor  in  England  for 
so  many  years,  and  the  execution  of  which  was  both  secretly  op- 
posed and  openly  discountenanced  by  the  most  powerful  of 
English  Ministers  as  politically  dangerous  and  as  practically  im- 
possible. It  was  that  opposition  which  created  the  Canal — in 


TO    ISMAILIA.  51 

the  first  place,  by  stimulating  French  feeling  on  the  subject  of 
English  jealousy,  and  tickling  the  mouths  of  French  money-bags 
by  appeals  to  national  vanity ;  and  in  the  second  place,  by  forc- 
ing Baron  de  Lesseps  to  call  in  the  aid  of  mechanical  genius  to 
provide  the  means  which  were  denied  to  him  by  the  Egyptian 
Government  when  they  removed  the  laborers,  in  consequence  of 
the  representations  of  our  Government  that  the  corvee  was,  in 
fact,  "  slavery,"  and  that  the  scenes  of  misery  which  accompan- 
ied the  making  of  the  Mahmoodieh  Canal  must  not  be  repeated 
so  late  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

The  Prince  took  great  interest  in  the  scene  which  was  pre- 
sented on  either  side  of  the  two  narrow  mud  walls  marking  the 
course  of  the  Canal  through  Lake  Menzaleh — the  broad  expanse 
where  the  water  and  the  sand  of  the  Desert  mingle,  undistin- 
guishable  one  from  the  other,  save  that  boats,  busily  engaged  in 
fishing,  marked  the  outlines  of  flotation,  and  that  vast  flocks  of 
flamingoes  and  pelicans,  standing  breast-deep,  showed  where  the 
land  was  rising  to  the  surface  of  the  lacus  piscosus.  By  special 
order  the  Osborne  was  allowed  to  proceed  at  a  speed  forbidde  n 
to  ordinary  vessels  :  and  as  the  wave  impelled  by  her  bow  broke 
on  the  banks,  mullet  and  other  fish,  disturbed  by  the  unusual 
rush  of  water,  bounded  repeatedly  high  in  the  air.  When  the 
Osborne,  followed  by  the  Mahsa,  rushed  past  the  elevateurs  and 
dredging  stations  on  the  banks,  and  the  small  reed-huts  and 
houses  of  the  employes,  the  men  of  many  nations  paused  for  a 
while  at  their  labor,  and  now  and  then  raised  a  cheer,  or  raised 
their  caps  respectfully  as  the  notion  burst  upon  them  that  a  great 
Prince  was  passing.  No  more  difficult  pilotage  can  well  devolve 
upon  a  man  than  that  of  the  Canal,  narrow  as  it  is,  for  every 
inch  of  water  must  be  measured  accurately,  and  the  slightest 
turn  of  the  wheel  will  send  a  ship  pretty  hard  and  fast  for  the 
time  ;  but  the  French  pilot  knew  his  work  thoroughly.  Indeed, 
Captain  Glyn,  and  other  naval  officers  who  had  experience  of  the 
management  of  the  Canal  in  all  its  details,  gave  unqualified 
praise  to  the  excellent  method  and  precision  of  the  service.  The 
nicest  management,  of  course,  was  needed  in  the  case  of  vessels 


52  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'   TOUR. 

encountered  in  the  way,  of  which  there  were  not  a  few — the  Scot- 
land of  London,  the  Montgomeryshire,  and  others.  The  Peninsu- 
lar and  Oriental  steamer  Pekin,  with  the  passengers  of  the  bro- 
ken-down Deccan,  was  passed  about  half-way  to  Ismailia.  From 
men  up  masts,  rigging,  and  yards,  and  from  her  crowded  deck, 
came  repeated  cheers  for  the  Prince  of  Wales  ;  but  as  he  stood 
on  deck,  with  a  great  crowd  of  persons  in  the  same  kind  of  dress, 
all  of  them  with  lorgnettes  to  their  eyes  trying  to  make  out  their 
friends  on  board  the  Pekin,  it  is  probable,  there  were  doubts  as 
to  his  identity,  until  he  raised  his  cap  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
cheering.  Amongst  the  passengers  by  the  Pekin  were  the  spe- 
cial correspondents  of  the  London  and  other  papers  on  their  way 
to  India.  The  Royal  visit  to  Cairo  just  enabled  them  to  reach 
Bombay  a  few  days  in  advance  of  the  Prince. 

The  great  stretch  of  Lake  Timsah,  on  which  Ismailia  is  built, 
attracted  special  notice,  when  it  was  explained  to  the  travellers 
that  where  navies  can  now  ride  triumphantly  there  was  but  a  few 
years  before  a  desert,  and  salt-pits,  and  barren  rock;  but  the 
Prince  was  familiar  with  the  scene,  as  he  had  visited  it  with  M. 
de  Lesseps  before  the  canal  was  opened.  At  Ismailia,  which 
the  Osborne  reached  at  5  P.  M.,  every  preparation  had  been  made 
— infantry  and  cavalry  guards,  and  a  force  of  military-looking, 
well-dressed,  and  active  Egyptian  police — to  show  the  Prince  all 
fitting  honor.  Carriages,  comprising  all  the  resources  of  Ismailia 
in  the  way  of  vehicles,  with  auxiliaries  from  Cairo,  conveyed  the 
Royal  party  to  the  station ;  but  the  luggage  was  not  quite  so 
mobile,  and  there  was  a  delay  of  some  half-hour  before  everything 
was  transported  from  the  steamer  to  the  baggage-vans.  The 
American  saloon  and  state  carriages,  so  familiar  to  many  recip- 
ients of  the  Khedival  hospitality,  were  in  readiness,  provided 
with  a  train  of  valets  and  ample  store  of  refreshments.  The 
Egyptian  Princes  Tewfik,  Hassan,  and  Hussein,  Nubar  Pasha. 
Mustapha  Pasha,  and  the  officials  of  the  Court,  busied  them- 
selves with  the  necessary  preparations  for  departure,  which 
chiefly  consisted  in  the  carriage  of  the  baggage  from  the  shore 
to  the  station,  but  that  was  at  last  effected.  And  as  the  sun  was 


ARRIVAL   AT    CAIRO.  53 

setting  on  the  horizon,  which  melted  into  the  grey  Desert  in  the 
distance,  the  train  glided,  amid  loud  cheers  from  a  crowd  of  sev- 
eral hundreds  of  persons,  among  whom  were  many  French  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  out  of  the  pretty  station  of  Ismailia  on  its  way  to 
Cairo.  The  Moslem  Pharaoh  has  not  neglected  the  interests  of 
his  country  like  the  Turk.  In  the  memory  of  young  men  the  Desert 
and  the  land  between  the  Bitter  Lake  and  Cairo  were  roadless, 
— no  vehicle  travelled  where  there  is  now  regular  railway  traffic, 
— the  camel  and  the  ass  afforded  the  only  means  of  conveyance. 

It  was  then  past  six  o'clock,  but  the  line  was  clear,  the  car- 
nages in  good  order,  and  the  train,  carefully  driven  under  the 
orders  of  Betts  Bey,  ran  continuously  through  to  Cairo  at  the 
rate  of  forty  miles  an  hour,  and  at  nine  o'clock  drew  up  at  the 
platform  of  the  Shoubra  Road  Station.  The  Khedive,  in  gala 
uniform  of  blue  and  gold,  and  with  all  his  orders  on,  surrounded 
by  his  ministers  and  by  the  foreign  Consular  body,  stood  waiting 
for  the  Prince,  beside  him  towered  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  of 
Russia,  in  naval  uniform,  attended  by  his  officers.  There  was  a 
battalion  of  infantry  drawn  up  from  end  to  end  of  the  platform, 
the  passages  were  lined  with  soldiery,  and  another  regiment  was 
on  duty  outside  the  station.  The  Prince  was  in  full  uniform. 
The  station  was  as  light  as  day,  from  gaslight  and  torches,  and 
the  coup  (Tail,  as  the  Khedive  advanced  to  meet  his  guest, — and 
the  whole  mass  of  men  in  uniform,  lace  and  jewels  moved  along 
the  platform, — was  striking.  There  was  a  most  warm  greeting. 
The  carriages  of  the  Khedive,  turned  out  faultlessly,  were  wait- 
ing. There  was  a  host  of  runners  and  masalchees  to  precede 
them,  and  the  Prince  and  his  host  drove  off  amid  cheers,  music, 
and  clattering  of  sabres  through  the  well-watered  streets  of  the 
new  quarter  of  Cairo,  and  turning  to  the  west,  passed  the  Nile  by 
the  Iron  Bridge  to  the  Gezireh  Palace  which  had  been  assigned 
for  the  Royal  residence. 

The  Khedive,  having  installed  the  Prince  in  his  sumptuous 
quarters,  took  leave,  and  was  driven  to  Abdeen,  at  the  other  side 
of  the  river,  which  seems  to  be  his  favorite  abode.  The  Gez- 
ireh Palace  was,  I  think,  built  for  the  reception  of  the  Empress 


54  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

Eugenie  ;  and  it  is  certainly  in  some  respects  worthy  of  its  pur^ 
pose.  The  rooms  are  exceedingly  handsome  and  well-furnished— 
large  armoires  ;  mirrors  against  the  walls,  of  course  ;  and  lustres, 
or  many-dropped  chandeliers,  from  the  ceilings.  The  floors  cov- 
ered with  French  carpets  ;  the  bedsteads  of  brass,  with  musquito 
curtains.  French  ormolu  clocks ;  Austrian  furniture,  which 
should  be  marked  "  fragile,"  covered  with  damask ;  rich  curtains, 
badly  hung,  and  sometimes  hooked  back  on  common  iron  staples 
driven  into  the  walls  ;  marble-topped  washstands  and  chests 
of  drawers  ;  tables  with  exquisite  cut-glass  service,  fleur  d  orange 
water,  sugar  for  eau  sucre,  scent  flasks,  and  last,  not  least,  small 
bottles  of  ammonia  to  assuage  the  pangs  of  insect  bites,  if  haply 
such  there  were.  There  are  some  very  fine  objects  from  the 
Great  Exhibition  of  1867  in  the  rooms.  Late  as  it  was,  the 
table  was  laid,  and  dinner  was  served  with  creditable  alacrity. 
Then  came  coffee,  pipes,  and  bed.  I  believe  we  lodge  in  the 
very  rooms  where  but  a  short  while  ago  Zuleika,  Hanoum,  Fati- 
ma,  and  others,  lorded  and  ladied  it  supreme.  All  the  ladies  of 
the  household  have  gone  off  to  some  other  viceregal  retreat ;  but 
I  am  not  quite  sure  of  the  point,  and  do  not  care  to  ask.  Any- 
way, the  palace  would  delight  St.  Kevin.  It  is  perhaps  a  little 
too  near  the  river  for  the  safety  of  the  walls,  but  the  situation 
affords  agreeable  prospects.  The  suite,  servants  and  all,  were 
lodged  without  any  difficulty  within  the  walls.  Musquitoes  were 
"  out  of  season,"  but  some  of  the  Royal  party  declared  other 
things  were  "  in,"  and  one  sufferer  cried  aloud  and  spared  not. 

October  24. — Early  in  the  morning  the  black-coated  servitors, 
each  with  red  fez  on  his  head,  badge  of  public  or  State  employ, 
began  their  scurrying  work  along  the  corridors — not  noiselessly. 
They  are  the  housemaids  of  the  Palace.  They  are  of  all  races, 
and  are  supposed  to  speak  French  or  Italian. 

The  prospect  from  the  Palace  windows  is  exceedingly  inter- 
esting. There  is  the  money-making  muddy  river  beneath  you, 
and  along  yonder  bank  a  selvage  of  Nile  boats,  with  naked  masts 
and  long  lateen  yards  triced  to  the  top  ;  a  broad  belt  of  houses, 
such  as  can  only  be  seen  in  Cairo,  above  the  roofs  of  which — 


THE    PALACE    OF    GEZIREH.  55 

seen  through  a  golden  haze,  which  is  but  the  fine  dust  raised  by 
the  slippers  and  feet  of  the  multitude,  and  lighted  by  the  rays  of 
the  sun — rise  the  minarets  of  mosques  in  the  incongruous  com- 
pany of  factory  chimneys.  Further  still,  towards  the  east  and 
south,  the  rock,  on  which  stands  the  Citadel,  and  the  slender 
minarets  and  dome  of  the  Great  Mosque  come  out  high  and 
clear,  and  the  barren  shelves  of  many-colored  rock  of  the  Great 
Mokattan  ridge  trending  towards  the  Nile.  The  Nile  is  now 
almost  bank-full ;  it  is  rushing  past  my  windows  at  such  a  rate 
that  the  country-boats,  with  their  vast  sails  bellying  out  with  the 
strong  breath  of  the  north  wind,  can  but  just  stem  its  stream. 
The  Palace  of  Gezireh  abuts  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  which 
swirls  and  gurgles  against  the  buttresses  of  the  garden  wall, 
and  circles  in  deep,  eddying  pools  in  the  angles  of  the  em- 
bankments, to  the  great  joy  of  the  catfish  and  other  Siluroids, 
which  rise  heavily  at  pieces  of  bread  and  floating  offal.  At  the 
other  side  of  the  river  lies  Boulak,  which  is  called  the  Port  of 
Cairo,  but  which  is  part  of  the  city  all  the  same.  The  ruins  of 
houses  in  the  stream,  the  overhanging  banks,  the  ends  of  walls, 
and  the  masses  of  masonry  rising  out  of  the  current,  show  how 
destructive  the  river  is  in  some  of  its  moods.  When  the  Nile 
is  at  its  highest  it  does  much  harm,  and  it  is  mischievous  even 
when  it  does  most  good.  There  is  no  solid  basis  for  masonry  to 
be  found  till  the  rock,  some  forty  feet  below  the  great  alluvial 
bed,  has  been  reached,  and  few  can  afford  the  expense  of  laying 
such  deep  foundations.  The  weakness  of  the  Grand  Barrage,  a 
magnificent  work  which  few  visitors  to  Cairo  ever  visit,  is  mainly 
due  to  the  want  of  an  adequate  KWJ  <TTUJ,  and  the  difficulty  of 
finding  that  essential  has  much  increased  the  cost  of  bridging 
the  river,  and  of  building  near  it. 

The  air  is  delicious,  as  it  generally  is  at  this  period  of  the 
year,  and  until  the  sun  gained  power  after  noon  there  could  not 
be  a  more  perfect  day.  Breakfast  was  laid  out  with  a  great 
pomp  of  plate,  exquisite  fruit  and  flowers  on  fine  epergnes,  the 
beautiful  china  service  made  expressly  for  the  Khedive,  in  one 
of  the  saloons  on  the  drawing-floor,  looking  out  on  the  Nile. 


56  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

The  servants  in  the  Viceroy's  fine  livery,  which  is  not  sparing  of 
gold  lace,  were  Frenchmen,  and  they  were  directed  by  higher 
officials,  also  French,  in  black  Stambouli  coats  and  fez  caps. 
From  the  breakfast-room,  which  contains  two  good  pictures  and 
a  couple  of  busts,  one  of  the  Khedive,  and  a  noble  piece  of 
marble  work  as  a  chimney-piece  at  one  end,  there  is  but  a  step 
to  the  saloon  leading  to  the  Great  Hall  of  Audience,  the  win- 
dows of  which  open  on  the  balcony  overlooking  the  main  en- 
trance and  the  garden.  This  saloon  is  furnished  with  splendor; 
richly-gilt  divans  and  easy  chairs,  marble-topped  tables,  &c.,  are 
placed  round  the  sides.  A  group  of  chiboukjees,  in  the  unvary- 
ing fez  and  black  suit  of  frock,  vest,  and  trousers,  stood  apart  at 
one  of  the  doors ;  and  at  a  signal  these,  demure  and  noiseless, 
appeared  with  coffee  in  exquisite  little  wafer  china  cups,  placed 
in  golden  holders,  set  with  diamonds,  rubies,  and  emeralds. 
Then  they  brought  in  long  pipes,  ready  lighted,  and  there  were 
few  who  refused  the  luxury  of  a  fragrant  whiff  of  tobacco,  which 
seems  necessary  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  East.  The  fresh 
air  and  the  perfume  of  the  flowers  tempted  some  to  the  balcony. 
Beneath  it  were  pacing  the  sentries  of  the  Khedive's  Foot  Guards, 
till,  broad,  if  flat-backed,  Egyptians,  clad  in  white, — gaiters, 
breeches,  tunic,  gloves,  all  white, — save  the  red  fez,  the  swarthy 
face,  and  the  black  belts.  The  French  postilions,  in  jack-boots 
and  buckskins,  laced  blue  and  scarlet  jackets,  red  vests,  shining 
oilskin  hats,  with  Viceregal  cockades  and  powdered  "-bobs," 
were  lounging  by  the  steps — the  very  reproduction  of  the  men, 
if  not  the  men  themselves,  whom  one  saw  riding  the  pecherons 
of  the  Imperial  Court  when  Fleury  and  St.  Meurice  ruled  the 
equipages.  There  was  not  a  sound  except  the  grating  of  the 
sentries'  shoes  on  the  gravel,  and  the  screams  of  the  peacocks 
from  the  aviary.  Just  outside  the  carriage-sweep  begins  the 
sward  of  the  garden,  in  which  there  are  a  menagerie,  artificial 
lakes  and  ponds,  rocks,  cascades,  and  clumps  of  trees  and  flowers. 
The  garden  is  bounded  on  the  right  by  the  river,  and  on  the  left 
by  a  wall,  beyond  which  lies  the  level  spread  of  irrigated  and 
cultivated  land  up  to  the  foot  of  the  Desert,  guarded  by  the 


SUNDAY   IN   CAIRO.  57 

Pyramids  of  Gizeh.  At  11.30  A.M.  the  Prince  and  his  suite  and 
servants  assembled  in  the  Saloon  of  Audience  for  Divine  service. 
The  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth  read  the  prayers  and  lessons  for 
the  day  to  the  little  congregation.  As  the  words  of  Christian 
thanksgiving  and  prayer  came  from  the  clergyman's  lips,  "  O  ! 
Praise  the  Lord,  all  ye  heathen  ;  Praise  Him  all  ye  nations  !  " 
we  heard  the  grating  tramp  of  the  Mohammedan  sentinels  and  the 
Arabic  commands  of  the  officer  relieving  guard  below.  When 
service  was  over,  the  Prince  went  out  in  one  of  the  Viceroy's 
open  carriages  to  the  other  side  of  the  Nile,  to  visit  the  Viceroy 
at  the  Palace  of  Abdeen,  and  to  see  the  Princes  of  his  family  at 
Kasr-er-Nil.  He  was  in  uniform,  for  it  was  a  ceremonial  visit. 
In  his  absence,  there  was  full  leisure  for  those  who  were  not  de- 
tained in  the  Palace  to  go  to  Cairo,  and  carriages  were  in  readi- 
ness for  any  who  wanted  them.  It  was  only  necessary  to  send 
some  of  the  Longjumeau  postilions  for  one,  and  it  was  at  the 
door  in  a  few  moments.  There  was  a  very  ample  lunch  at  tw,o 
o'clock,  which  caused  Dr.  Fayrer  some  anxiety,  but  with  the 
certainty  of  a  State  banquet  at  the  Palace  of  Abdeen  at  seven 
o'clock,  forbearance  was  a  duty  which  forced  itself  on  the  un- 
derstanding of  the  most  reckless.  A  State  banquet  at  the  Vice- 
roy's is  a  very  serious  matter ;  "  no  expense  is  spared,"  and  we 
may  be  certain  those  who  have  to  make  the  charges  are  not  over 
ready  to  cry,  "  Hold  !  enough  !  " 

When  the  Prince  returned  from  his  afternoon  visits  it  was 
almost  time  to  dress  for  dinner  at  the  Viceroy's.  There  was  an 
escort  of  cavalry  for  the  cortege  of  the  Prince  from  one  palace 
to  the  other,  and  the  road  was  illuminated  all  the  way  by  lamps 
and  pans  of  fire.  The  road  from  the  Palace  of  Gezireh  to  the 
Iron  Bridge  runs  parallel  to  the  stream,  from  which  it  is  only 
separated  by  a  narrow  belt  of  low  land,  which  is  partially  inun- 
dated. On  the  other  side  are  the  Viceroy's  Horticultural  Gar- 
dens and  Conservatories.  The  road  is  an  elevated  causeway — 
a  dyke  with  a  broad  top,  in  fact — and  is  bordered  by  trees, 
which  although  they  have  not  been  very  long  planted,  afford  a 
pleasant  shade.  The  great  bridge  is  a  very  noble  work  indeed  ; 
3* 


$8  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

and  as  one  sees  the  dense  streams  of  camels,  donkeys,  carts, 
and  pedestrians  which  throng  it,  moving  to  and  from  the  city, 
the  wonder  suggests  itself  how  they  did,  or  managed  to  live 
without  it.  The  suburb  between  the  Iron  Bridge  and  the  Hez- 
bekieh  is  undergoing  a  surprising  change.  It  was  once  covered 
with  miserable  sheds,  narrow  lanes  of  tumble-down  Egyptian 
houses  and  waste  patches,  filled  with  heaps  of  refuse,  and  here 
and  there  cultivated  plots  a  few  yards  square.  The  houses  have 
been  pulled  down,  the  lanes  no  longer  exist.  Fine  streets,  well 
lighted  with  handsome  lamps  and  bordered  by  trees,  run  in 
converging  lines  towards  the  Opera  House.  Charming  villas 
and  detached  houses,  in  the  French  and  Italian  style,  have  been 
finished,  or  are  in  course  of  erection,  along  the  course  of  the  pro- 
jected thoroughfares.  Verily  this  Egypt  is  still  a  land  of  won- 
ders !  The  new  rooms  of  the  Abdeen  Palace  are  not  merely 
viceregal  but  imperial  in  number,  size,  and  decoration,  and  the 
Banqueting-room  is  worthy  of  any  Court  in  Europe.  To  outward 
appearance  the  Khedive's  Court  is  at  least  royal.  On  his  ser- 
vice, carriages,  &c.,  there  is  the  likeness  of  a  kingly  crown  ;  his 
State  is  regal ;  the  Consular  persons  accredited  to  him  are  Min- 
isters in  all  but  name ;  and  salaries,  and  the  charges  de  la  Cour, 
are  on  a  scale  worthy  of  a  considerable  Power.  But  all  that  is 
maintained  for  a  purpose — not  from  any  personal  love  of  splen- 
dor and  luxury,  for  no  one  is  better  pleased  with  a  simple,  quiet 
life  than  Ismael  Pasha.  He  is  very  happy  when  he  can  get  out 
of  gold-laced  coats,  put  his  jewelled  scimetar  and  sash  away  ; 
slip  on  his  black  Stamboulee  coat,  easy  shoes,  and  sit  down  with 
a  friend  in  a  quiet  corner  for  a  little  conversation,  which  on  his 
side  is  always  original  and  fresh,  and  is  sustained  by  the  aid  of 
cigarettes,  of  which  his  Highness  keeps  a  store  for  himself  and 
his  friends  in  his  breast  coat-pocket.  To  Europeans  he  speaks 
French,  to  his  secretaries  and  to  those  who  wait  on  him  he 
generally  addresses  Turkish,  and  to  the  Egyptians  he  talks  in 
Arabic.  His  powers  of  calculation  are  extraordinary,  his  con- 
ception rapid,  his  memory  acute,  and  his  love  of  work  inexhaust- 
ible. He  has  a  fair  fund  of  anecdote,  and  appreciates  a  joke 


THE   KHEDIVE.  59 

most  thoroughly,  for  all  his  Turkish  gravity.  As  an  instance  of 
his  sagacity  and  foresight,  it  is  related  that  when  he  returned  to 
Cairo  after  his  visit  to  England  and  France,  he  expressed  the 
strongest  opinion  that  a  "  war  with  Prussia  was  intended,  or  at 
least  was  inevitable,  and  that  the  Emperor,  who  then  seemed  at 
the  summit  of  his  splendor  and  power,  was  on  the  verge  of  a 
precipice."  To  the  Prince  of  Wales  he  seems  to  have  a  very 
strong  regard  and  liking,  and  he  does  all  he  can  to  contribute  to 
his  Royal  Highness'  enjoyment.  The  Viceroy  stood  with  his 
sons  and  officers  of  State,  and  received  the  Prince  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Palace.  He  was  in  State  uniform,  with  riband  and  orders, 
but  the  effect  of  the  fine  lace-embroidery  in  which  Turkish  uni- 
forms excel  is  greatly  diminished  by  the  ugly  simplicity  of  the 
fez.  A  guard  of  honor  was  drawn  up  in  trie  court.  The  stair- 
case was  lined  with  Albanians  and  the  various  valetaille  of  an 
Oriental  Court.  When  the  Khedive,  leading  the  Prince  to  the 
Hall  of  Audience,  had  taken  his  place,  the  new-comers  were 
presented  to  him.  There  can  be  no  more  agreeable  manner  than 
that  of  the  Viceroy ;  he  was  particularly  affable  to  the  English 
as  well  as  to  those  with  whom  he  was  acquainted — the  Duke  .of 
Sutherland,  Lord  Alfred  Paget,  Lord  Carrington  and  others. 
With  very  few  exceptions,  every  one  in  Government  employment 
speaks  French,  and  the  old  French  leaven  which  once  turned  all 
things  Egyptian  into  French  is  still  working  and  still  powerful. 
That  influence,  indeed,  is  well  justified  when  such  a  man  as  M. 
Mariette  represents  it.  The  Viceroy's  physician.  M.  Bourgieres, 
is  one  of  the  most  agreeable  and  lively  of  companions,  and  has 
the  reputation  of  great  skill  in  his  profession.  To  their  com- 
p;  t  lots  are  due  mainly  the  beautification  of  Cairo,  the  Opera 
House,  the  creation  of  scientific  institutes,  and  the  promotion  of 
learned  societies  in  the  capital  and  in  Alexandria,  which  have  done 
so  much  for  Egyptian  history,  and  for  the  cultivation  of  litera- 
ture and  philosophy.  There  were  some  European  ladies,  the 
wives  of  Consular  personages  or  of  Europeans  in  Egyptian  em- 
ploy, present  at  the  dinner;  but  the  civilization  of  the  Khedive's 
Native  Court  does  not  go  so  far  as  yet  as  the  threshold  of  the 


60  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

door  of  the  Temple  sacred  to  Woman's  Rights.  The  "  Shriek- 
ing Sisterhood  "  of  the  Moslem  demand  not  to  be  driven  out  of, 
but  to  be  let  stay  in  the  harem  and  in  seclusion.  Mohammedan 
women  think  they  exercise  more  influence  over  mankind  by  hav- 
ing their  children  and  husbands  all  to  themselves,  when  they  see 
them  in  familiar  intercourse,  than  they  would  possess  if  they 
were  to  enjoy  the  sad  liberty  of  being  flattered  by  every  one. 

Later  in  the  evening  the  Viceroy  and  Nubar  Pasha  had  along 
conversation  with  Sir  B.  Frere  and  General  Stanton.  The  repu- 
diation by  Turkey  of  the  conditions  upon  which  she  contracted 
such  heavy  loans  naturally  causes  a  lively  emotion  at  Cairo.  It 
is  evident  that  underlying  all  the  reticence  which  a  personage  in 
this  condition  is  obliged  to  maintain,  the  Viceroy  thinks  the  fune- 
ral knell  of  the  Sick  Man  is  likely  soon  to  sound  if  the  Powers 
do  not  take  heed  to  his  case.  And  what  next?  Jamproximus 
ardet.  Nubar  Pasha  gave  the  most  emphatic  assurances  that  the 
finances  of  Egypt  were  in  a  sound  state,  and  that  she  was  quite 
able  to  pay  her  way  ;  but  he  foresees  that  the  acts  of  the  Sultan's 
Government  will  very  much  depreciate  Egyptian  credit,  and  favor 
combinations  against  it.  The  articles  in  the  English  press  attack- 
ing Egyptian  budgets,  and  the  general  distrust  of  Government 
statements  evinced  in  London,  were  spoken  of;  and  the  Khedive 
broached  the  idea  of  applying  through  General  Stanton  to  the 
British  Government  for  the  services  of  an  experienced  officer  of 
the  Treasury  to  investigate  the  public  accounts  and  examine  the 
financial  system,  and  he  expressed  the  utmost  confidence  in  the 
result.  Sir  B.  Frere  approved  of  the  notion.  Mr.  C.  Pennell 
and  Mr.  Acton,  two  gentlemen  formerly  in  the  Treasury,  are  now 
engaged  by  the  Khedive  as  heads  of  financial  departments.  The 
tendency  in  Egypt  is  certainly  to  accept  England  as  her  guide  in 
finance,  at  all  events.*  But  there  were  still  graver  matters  to 
discuss.  The  insurrection  in  the  Herzegovina  gives  rise  to  the 
deepest  anxiety.  The  expenses  of  the  war  are  enormous,  and  if 
it  be  long  protracted,  Turkey  will  be  crushed  into  the  lowest 


*  Jt  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  origin  of  Mr.  Cave's  mission  dated  from  this 
conversation. 


THE    STAR    OF   INDIA.  6l 

depths  ot  insolvency.  The  dread  which  is  felt  of  European  in- 
tervention, and  of  a  joint  partition  of  the  Dead  Man's  effects,  is 
not  disguised.  "  And  in  that  case  will  England  take  charge  of 
Egypt  ?  "  The  Khedive,  indeed,  did  not  ask  the  question  or 
suggest  it ;  but  it  was  asked,  and  the  subject  was  discussed  ;  and 
when  some  one  said,  "  England  will  probably  await  the  inarch 
of  events,"  a  Minister  exclaimed,  "Without  any  policy  ?  Without 
any  attempt  to  direct  it  ?  Cela  vous  portera  plus  loin  que  vous 
ne  croycz:'  It  was  very  interesting  to  observe  the  small  group 
talking  in  a  corner  so  gravely,  whilst  the  crowd  of  officers  and 
courtiers,  clouted  with  orders  and  blazing  with  gold  lace,  moved 
about  the  brilliant  saloon  chatting  and  laughing,  amidst  a  great 
clatter  of  plate  and  glass,  and  the  servants  passed  in  perpetual 
procession  with  refreshments.  The  Prince  returned  to  Gezireh 
in  the  same  state  as  he  came,  and  there  was  a  line  of  lights,  which 
made  the  road  from  Abdeen  to  the  Palace  as  clear  as  day. 

October  25 — At  n  A.M.  the  Prince  inspected  the  arrange- 
ments which  had  been  made  for  the  investiture  of  Prince  Tewfik, 
the  Viceroy's  eldest  son,  with  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India.  In 
one  of  the  very  handsome  apartments  of  the  Palace,  chairs  of 
state  were  arranged,  and  the  insignia  of  the  Order  to  be  confer- 
red were  placed  upon  a  marble  table.  The  3d  Battalion  of  the 
Egyptian  Guards  formed  up  outside  the  Palace,  and  lined  the 
way  from  the  gate  to  the  steps  of  the  Entrance  Hall.  The  Vice- 
roy's orderly  officers  remained  outside.  Shortly  before  half-past 
twelve,  the  trumpets  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Viceregal  cor- 
tege, which  came  up  in  great  state,  with  an  escort  of  smart-looking 
cavalry,  the  Viceroy,  his  sons  and  ministers,  in  full  uniform, 
blazing  with  jewels  and  gold  lace.  Two  of  the  PYince's  aides- 
de-camp  received  his  Highness  at  the  steps,  and  led  him  to  the 
Prince,  who  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  grand  staircase,  with  the  Duke 
of  Sutherland  on  his  left,  and  Sir  Bartle  Frere  on  his  right,  the 
other  members  of  the  suite  lining  the  hall  at  each  side  from  the 
entrance  to  the  staircase.  The  Prince  wore  a  Field-Marshal's 
uniform,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  the  Riband  of  the  Garter,  and 
Sir  Bartle  Frere  the  insignia  of  the  Star  cf  India  ;  the  suite  were 


62  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

in  full  dress.  The  Prince,  having  shaken  hands  with  the  Vice- 
roy, led  him  up  stairs,  and  thence  through  the  two  state-rooms  to 
the  Saloon,  where  the  investiture  was  to  take  place.  Dr.  Fayrer. 
who  was  assisted  by  General  Probyn  and  Colonel  Ellis,  read  the 
warrant,  under  the  sign-manual  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  by  or- 
der of  the  Queen,  for  the  investiture.  The  Prince  of  Wales 
standing,  iddressed  Prince  Tewfik,  with  great  dignity,  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  : — 

"  SIR, — I  consider  it  a  high  privilege,  a  high  duty,  and  it  is  a  great  gratifi- 
cation to  myself  personally,  to  be  able,  in  the  presence  of  your  Highness,  to 
carry  out  the  commands  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  who  has  charged  me  with 
the  duty  of  investing  you  with  the  ensigns  of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India. 
It  is  not  the  most  ancient  of  our  English  Orders,  but  it  is  one  highly  valued  by 
us  for  the  distinction  it  confers  on  those  to  whom  it  is  granted  for  their  services 
in  India.  The  Queen  has  determined  to  confer  this  especial  mark  of  consider- 
ation, Sir,  for  yourself  and  family,  because  of  the  good-will  Her  Majesty  bears 
towards  His  Highness  the  Khedive,  himself  a  member  of  the  Order,  who  has 
always  shown  himself  a  true  friend  to  the  English  nation,  and  has  done  so 
much  to  promote  the  safety  and  convenience  of  our  communication  between 
England  and  India,  in  facilitating  the  transit  of  our  troops  and  commerce.  1 
trust  that  in  fulfilling  this  charge  with  which  the  Queen  has  intrusted  me  I  may 
be  adding  another  link  to  strengthen  the  bonds  of  friendship  which  already 
exist  between  England  and  Egypt." 

The  Viceroy,  who  seemed  to  feel  the  honor  conferred  upon 
his  house,  and  spoke  with  emotion,  turned  toward  the  Prince, 
and  said : — 

"  Monseigneur  !     Je  suis  profondement  touche  du  temoignage  et  de  1'hon- 
neur  que  Sa  Majeste  la  Reine  a  confere  a  toute  ma  famille  en  daignant  nommer 
mon  fils  Grand  Commandeur  de  1'Ordre  illustre  de  1'Etoile  des  Indes.     Par 
une  de'licatesse  qui  rend  sa  faveur  royale  encore  plus  precieuse  a  mes  yeux, 
FJle  a  daigne  charger  Votre  Altesse  Royale  de  conferer  elle-meme  les  insignes 
de  1'Ordre  ^  mon  fils,  afin  de  temoigner  a  tout  mon  pays  que  Votre  Altesse 
Royale  partage   les   sentiments  que   sa  Gracieuse  Majeste  veut  nous  porter. 
Recevez,  Monseigneur,  mes  plus  vifs  remerciments.     Recevez-les  encore  poi 
vous  etre  souvenu  que,  sur  la  route  de  votre  Empire  des  Indes,  il  se  tr 
pays  qui  s'est  toujours  vu  encourager,  par  le  Gouvernement  de  Sa  Majesi 
la  nation  anglaise,   dans   la  voie  du  progres   et   de  la   liberte    commercial 
L'honneur  confer^  a  mon  fils,  la  presence  de  Votre  Altesse  Royale,  seront, 


THE    PYRAMIDS.  63 

croyez-moi,  Monseigneur,  pour  moi,  ma  famille  et  pour  mon  pays,  le  plu^  grand 
encouragement  pour  perse'verer  dans  cette  voie." 

The  Prince  of  Wales  then  taking  the  Riband  of  the  Order 
from  the  cushion,  on  which  it  was  held  by  General  Probyn,  pass- 
ed it  over  Prince  Tewfik's  neck,  and  fastened  the  Collar  over  his 
shoulders.  The  Prince  expressed  his  great  sense  of  such  a  sig- 
nal mark  of  Her  Majesty's  favor  in  a  few  graceful  words,  and  the 
Viceroy  took  leave  and  went  off,  as  he  had  come,  in  state,  with  his  ' 
sons  and  ministers.  Then  came  a  change  of  dress  not  at  all  disa- 
greeable, and  mufti  was  the  order  of  the  day  for  lunch  at  Major- 
General  Stanton's.  There  was  a  tremendous  clamor  of  donkey- 
boys  outside  the  house ;  for  to  enjoy  Cairo  a  donkey-ride  is,  for  the 
traveller,  no  matter  row  distinguished  or  illustrious  he  be, — that  is, 
if  he  likes  it, — asineq'ia  non.  The  Viceroy  relates  even  now,  with 
a  comic  mixture  of  merriment  and  horror,  how  the  Empress  Eugenie 
compelled  him  once  upon  a  timeto  mount  oneof  these  useful  ani- 
mals, and  to  exhibit  himself  to  the  utter  amazement  of  his  sub- 
jects, in  the  full  light  of  day,  tearing  full  speed  down  the  main 
street  of  the  bazaar. 

It  is  now  full  Bai.-am  time  ;  but  the  Prince,  nevertheless,  man- 
aged to  do  a  great  deal  in  the  way  of  shopping  and  purchases, 
and  returned  at  half  past  four  o'clock  to  the  Consular  head-quar- 
ters, where  six  of  the  Viceroy's  chars-a-bancs  and  carriages  were 
in  waiting  to  take  hi  n  and  party  to  the  Pyramids.  The  chars-a- 
bancs  were  drawn  by  six  pecherons,  ridden  by  postilions  in  the 
old  Imperial  style,  jack-boots,  gold-laced  coats,  leather  breeches, 
glazed  hats  and  coc'cades.  The  road,  in  spite  of  all  the  pre- 
vious watering,  was  very  dusty,  for  the  party  was  a  little  late ; 
and  ere  the  carriages  emerged  from  the  shady  avenue  of  trees, 
which  now  extends  more  than  half-way  to  the  Pyramids,  the  sun 
was  setting  in  a  dull  haze  behind  the  desert  outline  beyond  Gez- 
ireh.  There  was  a  crowd  of  at  least  a  thousand  people,  men  and 
women,  in  Frank  clothing, — Paris  bonnets,  gay  coats  and  umbrel- 
las, and  all  the  accessories  of  civilized  attire, — clustered  round 
the  Chalet  in  which  the  Prince  was  to  dine  ;  and  there  was  an 
immense  gathering  of  the  Arabs  with  their  well-known  Sheiks, 


64  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

whose  mission  it  is  to  seize  on  the  unwary  traveller  and  carry 
him  up  to  the  topmost  row  of  the  masonry  which  is  piled  above 
old  Cheops.  These  poor  Pyramids  !  How  commonplace  they 
are  becoming !  Dinner  over  there  was  a  dance  by  a  party  of 
Ghawazee,  or  Egyptian  dancing  girls  (for  whom  see  Lane's  "  Mod- 
ern Egyptians"), — "  girls  "  by  courtesy, — stumpy  gypsy  women, 
voluminously  clothed  from  the  waist  downwards  ;  bare  arms 
loaded  with  bracelets  ;  thick,  coarse  black  hair,  heavy  with  gold 
coins ;  posturing,  quivering,  and  sliding  to  and  fro  on  their  pret- 
ty feet,  to  the  clatter  of  the  metal  castanets  and  bangles,  and  to 
the  monotonous  but  not  unmusical  sound  of  the  native  orchestra 
which  accompanied  them.  The  heat  in  the  Chalet  was  rather 
trying,  and  the  company  were  probably  not  loth  to  leave  the  dance 
and  go  outside,  where  there  was  a  strange  weird  exhibition, 
which,  notwithstanding  revulsion  of  aesthetical  feeling,  will  prob- 
ably be  repeated  on  all  similar  occasions  till  the  Pyramids  be- 
come nothing  more  than  stands  for  fixed  pieces  like  those  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  or  the  Alexandra  Park.  But  it  must  be  admitted 
that  Cheops  prepared  a  very  grand  and  extensive  site  for  these 
displays.  First,  the  Great  Pyramid  was  illuminated  by  rows  of 
blue  lights  along  the  layers  of  the  masonry  ;  next,  flights  of  rock- 
ets were  let  off  from  the  sides  and  summit,  and  from  the  base, 
many  of  which  flew  high  above  it,  and  let  fall  a  rain  of  stars  ;  then 
came  red  and  blue  lights,  then  pans  of  saltpetre  at  the  angles  of 
the  Pyramid  were  ignited  and  threw  up  a  peculiar  bluish  flame 
on  the  faces  of  the  Arabs  who  superintended  the  fcux  d' artifice, 
causing  the  most  extraordinary  contrasts  ;  but  it  coon  died  away, 
and  was  succeeded  by  red  and  yellow  and  green  flames.  The 
glare  was  blinding.  When  the  lights  flashed  on  the  sea  of  up- 
turned faces  and  of  white-turbaned  heads,  the  effect  was  suffi- 
ciently striking  to  justify  such  a  use  of  the  Pyramids — at  least  so 
it  seemed  to  most  people.  The  Prince  stood  amongst  the  crowd, 
who  seemed  very  much  interested  in  observing  in  what  way  he 
took  the  fireworks,  which,  however,  were  no  novelty  to  him.  One 
little  maiden,  after  a  long  consultation  with  the  members  of  her 
family,  stole  timidly  up  to  the  Prince  to  request  that  he  would 


THE    PYRAMIDS.  65 

allow  her  to  shake  him  by  the  hand,  to  which  he  laughingly  as- 
sented. She  said  she  was  "  Kate  Bachelor  from  the  Uuited 
States  ;"  and  she  returned  in  the  highest  state  of  satisfaction  to 
the  bosom  of  her  family.  Darkness  stole,  or  rather  dropped  all 
of  a  sudden,  over  the  Pyramid,  and  the  Royal  party  were  whirled 
back  again  to  Cairo,  not  without  some  risk  of  contretemps  on  the 
road,  because  it  was  difficult  to  avoid  the  vehicles — ships  of  the 


ILLUMINATION    OF   THE    GREAT    PYRAMID. 

desert  and  others — which  thronged  it ;  but  the  Prince  got  back 
in  time  to  drive  to  the  Palace,  change  his  dress,  and  see  pr.rt  of 
the  piece  "  Les  Trente  Millions  de  Gladiator  "  admirably  played 
at  the  Opera  House  by  the  French  Company.  The  Khedive 
was  waiting  to  receive  him,  and  there  was  a  very  full  house :  but 
I  believe  most  people  were  rather  glad  when  the  curtain  dropped, 
and  it  was  time  to  retire  and  drive  back  to  Gezireh  to  bed. 

October  26. — Much  interest  is  taken  in  the  Prince's  voyage 

5 


66 

in  Cairo.  It  seems  to  many  people  a  strange  and  wonderful 
thing  that  he,  who  has  so  much  at  home  to  love  and  care  for, 
should  go  out  to  a  distant  land  in  search  of  doubtful  pleasures; 
but  there  are  some  who  quite  appreciate  his  motives,  and  the 
Viceroy  especially  is  struck  with  the  enterprise.  Cherif  Pasha, 
who  is  a  devoted  sportsman,  would  gladly  resign  office  to  have 
a  chance  of  killing  the  tigers  and  other  wild  beasts,  of  which  he 
has  heard,  and  sadly  resigns  himself  to  quail  and  snipe.  Nubar 
Pasha  ponders  over  the  haute politique  of  the  situation  ;  others 
deal  with  the  considerations  which  render  India  interesting  to 
Egyptians,  for  there  is  a  great  fear  that,  in  case  of  the  Sick  Man's 
immediate  dissolution,  Egypt  would  be  treated  as  a  part  of  his 
estate,  and  that  England  would  claim  it  as  her  share  by  rever- 
sionary interest.  The  Egyptians  would  not,  perhaps,  cry  their 
eyes  out  if  the  Turk  were  to  die  ;  but  they  fear  very  much  that 
in  a  faction  fight  over  his  grave  their  own  little  property  might 
be  appropriated.  They  would  like  nothing  better  than  a  kind  of 
International  Commission  to  regulate  the  finances  of  the  Empire, 
and  to  act  as  physicians  to  cure  the  patient  of  the  most  fatal  of 
the  diseases  by  which  he  is  menaced.  Talking  of  the  East  one 
of  our  Egyptian  friends  on  the  platform  said,  "  I  doubt,  after  all, 
whether  you  will  do  much  better  at  Calcutta  than  at  Cairo.  They 
have  no  opera  there  ;  we  have  one  of  the  best  in  the  world.  They 
have  no  ballet ;  except  Vienna,  we  have  got  the  best.  The  cli- 
mate is  abominable  ;  ours,  at  least  at  this  time  of  the  year,  de- 
lightful. The  cooking  is,  I  am  told,  but  middling  ;  ours  is  first- 
rate,  at  least  I  hope  you  found  it  so.  Their  wine  is  bad ;  we 
intercept  the  best  champagne  and  claret  on  its  way.  They  have 
no  tobacco  worth  smoking.  Why  go  there  ?  "  When  he  was  told 
there  were  others  things  to  live  for  besides  these,  he  said,  "  I 
daresay  there  are  ;  but  I  don't  know  any  people  who  like  them 
better.  As  to  seeing  ryots,  we  can  show  you  fellahs  ;  and  there 
is  no  form  of  Government  which  you  have  in  India  which  you 
cannot  study  to  better  advantage  up  the  Nile." 

After  breakfast  there  was  much  bustle  in  the  corridors  of  the 
Gezireh  Palace,  for  there  was  need  to  send  on  the  baggage  in 


ROYAL    PRESENTS.  6/ 

advance  to  the  station,  which  is  half  an  hour's  drive,  away  at  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  Then  there  was  a  gathering  in  the  great 
ante-room  of  the  officers  and  others,  to  whom  the  Prince  desired 
to  give  souvenirs ;  these  were  introduced,  one  after  the  other,  to 
his  presence,  and  were  sent  away  with  a  pleasant  speech,  a  shake 
of  the  hand,  and  a  cadeau. 

"  Great  are  the  charges  of  him  who  keeps  another's  wealth." 
When  the  Prince  of  Wales  leaves  the  Court  of  one  in  Royal  or 
distinguished  place  who  has  lodged  him  and  his  following,  those 
who  have  to  distribute  the  souvenirs  of  his  visit  have  much  of 
which  to  think.  Photographs  and  portraits  for  those  in  high 
position;  snuff-boxes,  rings,  pins,  watches  and  chains,  arms — • 
lorgnettes,  and  then  haply  the  solid  rouleaux,  which  represent  the 
"gratifications,"  called  baksheesh  by  the  Oriental  vulgar — these 
must  be  taken  out  of  the  Treasury,  and  marked  off,  and  ticketed, 
and  appropriated.  The  Prince  gives  his  presents  in  genre  with 
his  own  Royal  hands  —  the  specie  is  distributed  by  humbler 
•agencies. 

The  outward  world  knows  little,  and  probably  does  not  care 
to  know,  how  great  are  the  troubles  and  cares  which  weigh  on  the 
inner  life  of  those  around  the  great.  Everything  appears  to  the 
public  eye  to  go  so  smoothly  and  well  that  no  anxiety  is  mani- 
fested to  learn  how  it  is  all  done.  There  is  the  Serapis,  splen- 
did in  white  paint  and  gold,  obedient  as  a  well-trained  steed  to 
to  the  rider's  hand.  What  need  to  dive  into  the  engine-room  and 
see  how  the  machinery  is  regulated  ?  When  the  Prince  of  Wales 
comes  or  goes,  everything  for  hfs  coming  or  going  seems  as  if  it 
happened  in  the  order  of  nature  ;  but  could  one  only  see  the 
anxious  faces,  and  the  calculations,  and  the  consultations,  and 
the  pre-arrangements,  he  would  be  able  to  judge  how  far  those 
who  are  hidden  behind  the  folds  of  the  Purple  have  to  do  with 
the  arrangements  for  its  complete  effect. 

The  Khedive,  the  Princes  his  sons,  and  his  ministers,  visited 
the  Prince  at  one  o'clock,  and  took  leave  of  him,  although  they 
were  to  meet  him  at  the  station  to  see  him  off  with  all  honor.  We 
were  sitting  enjoying  the  early  chibook  (spell  it  any  way  you 


68  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

please)  after  lunch, when  the  Khedive  was  announced,  and  every 
one  hurried  off.  His  Highness  and  his  suite  were  in  plain 
clothes.  The  Prince  received  him  at  the  top  of  the  staircase,  and 
after  a  few  moments'  conversation  they  retired  into  the  Prince's 
antechamber.  Presently  there  came  a  summons  for  one  of  the 
suite,  and  he  obeying  it,  returned  with  a  broad  green  and  red  rib- 
bon and  Badge,  and  men  knew  that  he  had  received  from  the 
hands  of  the  Khedive  the  decoration  of  the  Medjidie.  To  do 
the  Prince  honor,  these  decorations  were  conferred  with  no  spar- 
ing hand.  There  were  some  who  had  already  received  the  hon- 
or, and  these  were  advanced  in  dignity  ;  but  those  who  had  it 
not  were  decorated  each  in  degree. 

At  2.10  P.M.  the  Prince  was  at  the  Railway  Station  with  the 
Viceroy  and  all  his  house,  and  there,  with  many  kind  speeches 
and  friendly  expressions,  he  took  leave  of  his  Highness.  When 
the  Prince  was  leaving,  the  sons  of  the  Viceroy  proposed  to  accom- 
pany him,  but  his  Royal  Highness  would  not  hear  of  it;  "it  was 
a  long  journey,"  he  said,  "  and  he  felt  quite  sensible  of  their  kind- 
ness." It  would  appear  that  there  was  a  real  friendship  be- 
tween the  Viceroy  and  the  Prince,  and  they  parted  with  cordial 
manifestations  of  good-will.  General  Stanton,  Nubar  Pasha, 
Mustapha  Pasha,  and  others  accompanied  the  Prince,  and  once 
more  the  great  American  saloon  carriages  were  under  way 
rattling  towards  Suez.  The  journey  was  hot  and  dusty. 

At  Zagazig  the  special  train  halted  for  ten  minutes,  and  the 
staff  of  vice-regal  servants  passed  up  and  down  the  carriages  with 
ices,  fruits,  champagne,  soda-water,  and  such  like  luxuries,  and 
informed  us  at  the  same  time  that  there  was  a  complete  dinner, 
with  a  staff  of  servants,  cooks,  &c.,  ready  in  the  train,  and  that 
it  could  be  laid  upon  the  table  in  half  an  hour.  From  Zagazig 
the  train  sped  on  through  the  land  of  Goshen,  and  an  hour  ere 
reaching  Suez  the  sun  set,  round  as  a  shield,  falling  abruptly  as  a 
red-hot  shot  beyond  the  verge  of  the  desert,  and  leaving  us  in 
darkness.  The  train  was  due  at  7  P.M.,  and  it  wanted  but  a  few 
minutes  of  that  time  when  it  ran  through  the  Suez  station,  where 
great  crowds  had  collected  from  the  ships  in  the  harbor,  and 


SUEZ. 


69 


from  the  teeming  bazaar,  who  cheered  and  yelled  as  the  special 
clashed  past  towards  the  pier.  Then,  looking  seawards,  the  wel- 
come lights  of  the  Serapis  and  the  Osborne  shone  their  welcome 
over  the  water.  The  Egyptian  men-of-war,  with  masts,  yards, 
and  sides  brightly  illuminated,  formed  striking  objects  in  the  road- 
stead. Rows  of  soldiers  with  blazing  torches  lighted  up  the 
landing-place,  where  the  Pacha  of  Suez,  the  officers  of  the  port, 
and  a  guard  of  Egyptian  infantry  were  waiting  to  conduct  his 
Royal  Highness  on  board  the  tender  which  was  to  take  him  off 
to  the  ship.  It  was  some  time  before  the  baggage,  which  had 
filled  six  fourgons  at  Cairo,  could  be  transferred  on  board  the 
Serapis ;  and  as  the  Prince  was  going  off,  Mr.  Gibbs,  Superin- 
tendent of  Telegraphs,  handed  in  a  Telegram  with  the  news  in 
London  up  to  2  o'clock  that  day,  and  the  name  of  the  winner  of 
the  Cambridgeshire,  which  had  been  run  a  few  hours  before.  O 
visiting  the  saloon  it  was  felt  that  the  Red  Sea  was  not  far  off 


"THE  PUNKAH." 


7O  THE    PRINCE   OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

and  the  punkahs  over  the  dinner  table  were  set  in  motion  for  the 
first  time.  It  was  found  that  the  sweep  of  the  punkah  was  rather 
too  low,  and  when  the  Prince  stood  up  to  give  the  health  of  the 
Queen,  in  accordance  with  custom,  he  was  obliged  to  stand  on 
one  side  till  the  living  machinery  on  deck  could  be  induced  to 
stop  their  monotonous  labors.  When  everything  was  ready, 
Nubar  Pasha,  Mustapha  Pasha,  General  Stanton,  and  the  other 
officers  and  officials  took  leave,  and  were  conveyed  on  shore  ;  and 
presently,  amidst  a  general  illumination,  discharges  of  rockets, 
and  cheers,  the  screw  of  the  Serapis  sent  her  ahead,  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales  was  steaming  down  the  Sea  of  Jubal  for  India. 


ADEN. — SOMALI  BOY  CHASED  BY  A  POLICEMAN 


CHAPTER   III. 
SUEZ  TO  ADEN,   AND   ADEN   TO   BOMBAY. 

Sinai — The  Red  Sea — A  visit  Below — Bed  and  Board — Aden — Landing  of 
the  Prince — Arab  Sultans — The  Aden  Address — Turks  in  Arabia — The 
first  Levee — Sultan  of  Lahej's  Petition — The  "  Hanging-tanks  " — Exiles 
in  Aden — Subsidized  Chiefs — Something  wrong  Below — Programme  for 
Southern  India  modified — Guy  Fawkes  at  Sea — A  Sunday's  Routine —  Ap- 
proaching Bombay — Anticipations  in  India. 

OCTOBER  27. — The  dawn  found  the  Serapisw\\h  the  constant 
Osborne  in  company  at  a  regulation  distance,  running  at  the  rate 
of  twelve  knots  an  hour,  afterwards  increased  to  thirteen,  out  of 
the  narrow  straits  of  Jubal  into  the  wider  expanse  of  the  Red 
Sea.  We  have  shipped  multitudes  of  Egyptian  flies ;  the  most 
daring,  active,  and  aggressive  of  their  pestilent  race,  and  they 
make  the  early  morning  hideous.  There  was  a  fond  but  erron- 
eous belief  entertained  by  some  of  the  suite  that  they  had  seen 
Sinai  soon  after  sunrise,  but  the  identity  of  the  sacred  mountain 
does  not  seem  to  be  well  established,  and  the  peak  which  is 

7* 


72  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

generally  thought  to  be  Sinai  is  hidden  from  view  by  the  outer 
ridges  of  the  chain.  At  I  P.M.  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental 
Company's  steamer  Peshawur,  bound  for  Suez,  came  close  up, 
with  yards  manned  handsomely,  all  her  passengers  on  deck  wav- 
ing hats  and  handkerchiefs,  and  crew  cheering  lustily.  The 
Scrapis  stopped ;  a  boat  was  lowered  and  manned ;  the  Pe- 
shawur  lay  to,  and  for  a  moment  it  was  thought  that  a  mail 
for  England  would  be  sent  on  board  her ;  but  the  letters  were 
not  quite  ready ;  and  so,  after  a  sl.ort  exchange  of  courtesies, 
the  ships — to  the  great  relief  of  Captain  Glyn,  who  was  appre- 
hensive of  the  effects  of  any  avoidable  delay — proceeded  on  their 
respective  courses,  the  band  of  the  Serapis  playing  "  Home ! 
Sweet  Home  !  "  the  Pcshawur  saluting  the  Prince's  standard 
with  lowered  ensign,  and  the  passengers  and  crew  again  huzza- 
ing lustily.  The  Prince  stood  on  the  bridge,  and  acknowledged 
the  compliment  and  these  marks  of  respect  by  touching  his  cap 
and  by  repeated  bows  till  the  steamers  went  ahead  full  speed. 
The  quarter-deck  substitute  for  lawn  tennis  was  tried  with  great 
success  in  the  afternoon,  but,  in  spite  of  the  awning,  it  was 
warm  work,  for  the  sun  was  tyrannous  and  strong — 82°  in  the 
shade.  The  library  was  a  great  comfort  for  those  who  had 
leisure  to  read,  and  the  charts,  laid  out  on  the  table,  and  relief 
maps  were  diligently  studied.  By  the  time  we  reach  India  most 
of  us  will  probably  know  something  more  of  the  Empire  and  of 
its  history  than  we  did  before.  The  excellent  band  of  the  Royal 
Marines  under  Mr.  Kreyer  practises  for  an  hour  at  i  i  A.M.,  plays 
at  lunch  from  2  till  3  P.M.,  and  at  dinner  (7.30  till  8.30  P.M.), 
and  often  for  an  hour  or  two  later,  so  that  there  is  no  want  of 
delightful  music ;  but  it  must  be  confessed  that,  with  all  these 
means  of  enjoyment,  the  high  temperature  and  the  general 
montony  of  life  at  sea  tend  to  promote  slumber  at  unusual 
times. 

October  28. — A  profound  calm  during  the  night ;  but  a  gen- 
tle breeze  sprung  up  after  daylight.  At  4.10  A.M.  we  passed 
Daedalus  Shoal  and  its  disconsolate  Light-house,  rising  on  a 
kind  of  gridiron  frame  above  the  sad  sea  wave.  There  were 


ARABIA   DESERTA.  73 

signs  of  life  in  the  upper  story,  and  a  flag  was  flung  out  from 
the  staff.  It  was  erected  by  the  Egyptian  Government,  which 
has  clone  the  lighting  of  its  coasts  in  an  admirable  manner. 
All  ports  open.  It  is  not  easy  to  sleep  in  the  early  morning — 
the  sun  rises  on  my  side  of  the  ship,  which,  as  the  world  is 
ordered,  is  quite  inevitable,  for  I  am  on  the  port  side,  and  we 
are  steering  East ;  but  it  is  unpleasant,  like  many  other  inevit- 
able things.  Out  of  the  port  I  see  far  away  the  land  of  which 
we  know  so  little — not  much  more  than  we  do  of  Central  Africa, 
although  Arabia  is  inhabited  by  one  of  the  most  ancient,  inter- 
esting and  indomitable  races  in  the  world,  and  is  the  birth-place 
of  the  founder  of  a  faith  which  alone  of  all  creeds  shows  no 
sign  of  receding  before  Christianity.  They  are  still  fierce  and 
proud — it  may  be  said  they  are  the  only  Eastern  nation  which 
does  not  fear  the  power  of  Europe,  or  hold  Europeans  in  some 
sort  of  respect.  Woe  to  any  white  man  who  lifts  his  hand  to  an 
Arab,  or  shoves  him  to  make  place  in  the  streets  of  Jeddah  ! 
"  See,  extending  from  the  Euphrates  southwards,  the  vast  coun- 
try, washed  by  four  seas,  touching  Europe  (if  we  admit  Syria  to 
belong  naturally  to  the  Peninsula),  Africa,  and  Asia — left  alto- 
gether to  barbarism  because  there  is  no  gain  to  be  had  out  of 
it !  No  one  cares  for  the  Arabs  save  the  Turks,  and  their 
solicitude  is  to  subdue  the  people.  They  are  passed  by  and 
neglected  by  all  the  world.  Where  are  the  Christian  missions 
in  Arabia  ?  Where  are  the  schools  ?  Look  at  the  map,  and  see 
a  space  nearly  as  large  as  Europe,  with  the  m  ark  of  our  ignor- 
ance upon  it,  '  Desert  from  Mecca  to  Oman.'  I  don't  believe 
i;  ? "  At  this  stage  I  am  interrupted  by  my  early  marine  with  a 
cup  of  coffee,  and  soon  the  ship  awakes,  electric  bells  ring, 
"  Tom  Fat  "  is  summoned  by  my  neighbor,  servants  are  roused 
out  f "om  the  depths  of  what  the  subalterns  call  Pandemonium, 
baths  are  ordered,  quaint  figures  flit  about  in  light  attire,  paying 
a  round  of  visits  from  hammock  to  berth.  *'  Well !  How  did 
you  sleep,  old  fellow  ?  "  "  I  never  was  so  hot  in  all  my  life." 
There  never  were  more  pleasant  or  more  agreeable  companions. 
There  is  still,  in  spite  of  the  heat,  a  gymnastic  performance 


74  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

about  tubbing  time,  in  which  Dr.  Fayrer  and  Canon  Duckworth 
lead  the  exercises — simple  evolutions  with  mugdahs,  or  Indian 
clubs,  Df  which  sets  of  different  weights  and  sizes  were  sent  on 
board  by  the  dockyard  people.  Sometimes  the  Prince  takes 
what  is  called  "  a  cruise  "  between  decks  before  breakfast,  and 
visits  the  cabins  to  see  ho\v  every  one  is  going  on.  At  noon  we 
were  inside  the  tropics  (lat.  23°  39'  N.,  long.  35°  46'  E.).  The 
thermometer  in  the  cabins  marked  81°,  but  owing  to  a  following 
wind  from  the  north,  the  want  of  ventilation  made  the  heat  seem 
greater.  There  were  sixteen  Arabs  shipped  at  Suez  to  aid  the 
seventy  European  firemen  as  coal  clippers,  but  they  did  not 
stand  the  heat  below  (146°)  as  well  as  the  latter.  Hearing  that 
the  stokehole  was  considered  to  be  very  hot,  his  Royal  High- 
ness paid  it  a  visit.  The  Duke  of  Sutherland  was  of  course  one 
of  the  party.  The  black  and  grimy  stokers,  who  were  interrupt- 
ed for  a  moment  in  their  labor  to  make  way  for  strangers,  were 
evidently  delighted  and  gratified  when  they  saw  the  Prince,  in 
the  full  glare  of  the  fires,  in  their  midst.  Having  inspected  the 
shaft-gallery,  and  had  a  good  look  all  round  down  below,  the 
Prince  ascended  to  the  main-deck  in  a  state  of  very  considerable 
perspiration.  Some  honey-birds  and  a  kestrel  were  shot,  and 
the  gig  was  lowered  and  sent  off  to  pick  up  the  latter,  which 
went  astern  at  a  great  pace — or  rather,  was  left  behind  very 
rapidly  till  the  ship  stopped.  By  the  time  the  bird  was  found, 
the  gig  was  some  miles  away  from  the  Serapis.  The  Osborne 
gave  the  boat  a  tow ;  but  it  was  an  hour  before  we  were  going 
ahead  again.  In  the  evening  there  was  an  amateur  concert  and 
reading  in  the  little  theatre  on  the  quarter-deck,  and  several  of  the 
blue-jackets  acquitted  themselves  very  well.  Captain  Glyn  acts  as 
Lord  Chamberlain  s  reader  of  plays  and  dramatic  censor,  but 
the  melodious  captain  of  the  forecastle,  on  the  spur  of  an  encore, 
slipped  in  an  impromptu  which  caused  immense  delight  to  the 
pit  and  gallery.  It  was  not,  however,  at  all  objectionable.  It 
was  merely  meant  to  be  a  little  satirical,  and  chiefly  dealt  with 
the  expedition  of  the  gig's  crew  after  the  hawk,  for  which  the 
sea  name  appears  to  be.  "  nanny-wiper." 


HEAT   EXHAUSTION.  75 

October  29. — At  10  A.M.,  the  thermometer  marked  83°,  wet- 
bulb,  79°;  temperature  of  sea,  86  ;  specific  gravity,  1.0030; 
wind  s.  w.  Dr.  Fayrer  was  summoned  to  attend  several  cases 
of  "  heat  exhaustion."  Ice  and  brandy-and-water  are  specifics 
for  most  of  these.  The  domestics  on  the  lower  deck,  where  the 
bull's-eyes  cannot  be  kept  open,  were  considerably  affected.  As 
the  day  wore  on  the  heat  increased,  and  gradually  stole  over  one 
like  sleep.  Starboard  at  least  i°  hotter  than  port  side.  The 
paint  in  the  cabins  has  become  clammy.  This  state  of  things 
developed  a  display  of  energy  and  latent  power  in  the  suite 
after  noon  which  was  quite  astonishing.  The  beds  and  bed- 
steads in  the  cabins  were  unanimously  voted  to  be  a  mistake. 
They  were  "  stuffy,"  and,  moreover,  having  been  filled  in  a  hurry 
with  feathers  which  had  not  been  properly  dried,  they  were  not 
sweet  smelling ;  and  they  were  cleared  out  vi  et  armis  by  their 
occupants.  The  leader  in  the  work  of  destruction  was  "  the 
author  of  their  being,"  so  to  speak,  for  he  it  was  who  ordered 
them,  or  approved  of  them,  when  the  vessel  was  being  fitted  up. 
In  fact,  they  were  not  fit  for  the  Red  Sea ;  and  although  they 
resisted  strenuously,  and  held  on  with  brass  claws  and  iron  nails 
to  the  frames,  the  cushions  and  mattresses  were  torn  out,  and 
pitched  out  on  the  deck  by  sheer  strength.  The  frames  were 
made  comfortable  by  means  of  wooden  stretchers,  but  the  cabins 
were  so  hot  at  night  that  a  demand  was  made  for  hammocks. 
Several  of  Seydel's  excellent  light  nettings  were  on  board,  and 
were  slung  outside  the  cabins  on  the  main-deck.  Lord  Suffield, 
Lord  Carington,  Lord  C.  Beresford,  Colonel  Ellis,  Mr.  Fitz- 
George,  and  I;  found  "  these  pendent  nests  "  very  comfortable. 
Lat.  19°  42'  N.,  long.  39°  3'  E.,  distance  run  270  miles.  The 
Prince,  notwithstanding  the  temperature,  played  at  "  lawn  "  ten- 
nis in  the  afternoon.  Great  numbers  of  sand-martins  kept  up 
in  the  wake  of  the  ship ;  and  many  of  the  little  fellows  came  on 
board  and  rested  on  the  rigging.  The  kestrels  follow  them  un- 
dauntedly to-day,  and  one  more  of  them  fell  a  victim  to  the 
Prince's  gun.  Fishing-lines  were  put  over  the  sides,  but  not  even 
a  flying-fish  could  take  a  bait  going  fourteen  knots  an  hour 


76  THE    PRINCE   OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

through  the  water.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  solitary  rubber 
of  whist, — the  only  game  which  has  been  played  since  the  de- 
parture from  Brindisi, — and  it  did  not  last  very  long.  The  heat 
was  too  great,  although  the  players  were  in  the  very  lightest 
clothing. 

The  correspondence  between  the  Resident  at  Hyderabad  and 
Sir  Salar  Jung,  a  copy  of  which  had  been  sent  on  from  England, 
was  read  and  discussed  among  the  old  Indians,  and  I  think  there 
was  only  one  opinion  expressed  respecting  the  taste  and  tone  of 
despatches,  which  intimated  that  the  Resident  believed  the  rea- 
sons assigned  for  the  Nizam's  inability  to  go  to  Bombay  were 
fictitious,  and  that  the  Dewan  had  some  secret  purpose  to  serve 
in  asserting  that  the  journey  would,  according  to  the  physicians, 
be  dangerous  to  the  life  of  the  boy,  who  is  delicate  and  nervous, 
and  who  has  never  yet  been  separated  from  his  mother.  It  is 
well  sometimes  that  we  have  no  foreign  critics,  no  external  pub- 
lic (in  Europe  or  Asia)  to  bear  upon  our  conduct  in  India.  I  say 
sometimes,  because  I  believe  that  generally  our  rule  will  bear 
criticism. 

The  propriety  of  sending  on  the  Osborne  ahead  to  Aden  to 
announce  the  Prince's  arrival  was  considered,  but  the  idea  was 
abandoned,  as  "  something "  might  happen,  and  it  would  be 
awkward  if  the  Serapis,  which  is  "  forced  "  a  good  deal,  were 
to  strike  work  in  mid  Red  Sea. 

October  30. — The  wind  rose,  and  as  it  was  right  ahead,  our 
speed  was  knocked  down  a  knot  an  hour.  Through  the  port 
caught  glimpses  of  Osborne,  pitching  so  as  to  bury  her  bows, 
whilst  we  in  Serapis  scarcely  moved  to  the  sea.  At  9  A.M.  the 
thermometer  stood  at  84°  in  my  cabin.  Some  of  the  suite  feel 
the  effect  of  the  great  heat.  A  Turkish  bath  is  an  excellent  in- 
stitution, but  if  a  man  plays  tennis  till  he  is  at  bailing-point,  and 
then  dashes  into  cold  water,  he  may  suffer  for  it.  Lord  C.  Beres- 
ford  had  a  touch  of  fever,  which  by  no  means  interfered  with 
his  animal  spirits  when  he  was  awake,  though  it  caused  "  Tom 
Fat  "  considerable  anxiety.  Lord  Carington,  also,  is  not  as  well 
as  we  would  wish,  The  servants  complain  of  the  short  supplies 


RED  SEA  LUXURIES.  77 

of  "  ice  "  in  their  den.  What  a  luxurious  age  it  is  !  Think  of 
the  Portuguese  caravels,  laden  to  the  water's'edge  with  armored 
men  ;  or  of  the  Greeks  returning  from  India  up  the  Persian  Gulf  ! 
"  But  who  can  hold  a  fire  in  his  hand  for  thinking  of  the  frosty 
Caucasus  ? "  Wind  sails  were  fitted  to  their  ports,  and  a  variety 
of  light  costumes  was  exhibited.  At  noon,  observations  gave 
lat.  16°  f  N.,  long.  41°  15'  E.,  250  miles  since  12  o'clock  yester- 
day. The  island  Gib-el-Teir,  an  extinct  volcano,  was  seen  right 
ahead,  like  a  cloud  on  the  water,  about  an  hour  afterwards. 
Deck  tennis  was  still  in  vogue  after  lunch,  and  was  eagerly 
worked  at  till  it  became  too  dark  to  play.  At  2.30  P.M.  the 
centrifugal  pump  got  out  of  order — slowed  for  an  hour  during 
repairs.  Passed  Gib-el-Teir  at. sunset.  The  rude  fantastic  out- 
lines of  what  was  called  by  some  one  on  board  "  an  awful  monu- 
ment of  the  angry  passions  of  the  youthful  world  "  riveted  many 
a  glass  ;  every  one  anxious  to  detect  some  sign  of  life  on  those 
awful  crags  where  life  has  never  been — not  a  blade  of  grass,  nor 
shrub — nothing  but  cinders — scoriae — still  colored  by  the  tremen- 
dous furnace  hues.  The  sea,  which  had  been  rising  gradually  with 
the  increasing  force  of  wind,  now  attracted  the  attention  of  some 
of  the  weaker  vessels,  who  retired  within  their  cabins,  and  did  not 
appear  at  dinner.  The  Serapis,  head  to  wind,  was  still  wonderfully 
steady ;  but  the  lights  of  the  Osborne,  as  seen  from  the  stern  win- 
dows, indicated  that  those  on  her  deck  were  obliged  to  submit  to 
considerable  deviations  from  the  perpendicular.  Towards  mid- 
night a  cry  of  distress  came  up  from  the  deeps,  for,  unwisely  court- 
ing ventilation,  some  of  the  suite  left  their  starboard  ports  open, 
and  suddenly  along  the  side  of  the  ship  there  came  a  long,  curling, 
crisping  wave,  which  just  overlapped  the  sills,  soused  bedding  and 
clothes,  deposited  an  inch  or  two  of  water  in  the  cabins  and  ran  aft, 
rejoicing  at  the  mischief  it  caused.  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  Canon 
Duckworth,  Mr.  Knollys,  Mr.  Grey,  and  myself  were  among  the 
victims  of  the  "  water  baby,"  and  some  of  us  had  to  look  out  for 
dry  quarters  on  tables  or  sofas  above.  The  deck  saloon  was 
turned  into  a  sleeping-room  for  the  nonce.  After  such  a  warning 
there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  necessity  of  "  putting  up  the 


78  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

shutters,"  and  ports  on  both  sides  were  lowered  and  secured  for 
the  night.  Towards  n  o'clock  P.M.  the  force  of  the  wind — a 
strong  south-easter — became  so  great  that  it  might  fairly  be  call- 
ed half  a  gale.  The  Prince,  who  goes  on  the  bridge  every  night 
before  he  turns  in,  went  up  as  usual,  in  light  water-proof,  and 
remained  till  past  midnight  enjoying  the  freshness  of  the  wind, 
and  watching  the  sea-horses  tossing  their  white  manes  as  they 
rolled  past  the  ship  in  headlong  charges  into  the  darkness  of  the 
night. 

October  31,  Sunday. — The  gale  abated  towards  morning,  but 
left  a  high  confused  sea  behind  it.  I  do  not  believe  Captain 
Glyn  turned  in  all  night.  All  ports  shut.  Wind  S.S.E.  ;  ther- 
mometer 82°  ;  water  86°.  •  Mocha  on  port  beam  at  10  A.M.  At 
11.15  A-M-  tne  RCV-  Canon  Duckworth  performed  Divine  service 
in  the  saloon.  Prince  and  suite  in  blue  frock-coats  and  white 
trousers.  Service  private — that  is,  the  ship's  officers  and  crew 
were  not  present,  but  had  service  on  the  main-deck.  Perim, — a 
gigantic  blistered  clinker,  the  vitrified  dross  of  the  submarine 
furnaces  once  so  busy  in  this  part  of  the  earth, — with  the  British 
Standard  flying  on  an  elevated  peak,  and  a  group  of  very  unpre- 
tentious dwellings  on  its  arid  ridge,  came  in  sight.  There  was  a 
guard  of  honor — the  little  garrison  of  the  island — drawn  up  on 
a  ledge  above  the  sea,  and  his  Royal  Highness  had  his  first  view 
of  her  Majesty's  native  troops  ;  for  the  detachment  belonged  to 
the  2d  Bombay  Native  Infantry  (Grenadiers).  He  had  fully 
acquainted  himself  with  the  reason  of  their  being  there^  and  cer- 
tainly was  not  indifferent  to  their  singular  residence.  As  the 
Serapis  came  nearly  opposite  the  flag-staff,  down  came  the  ensign, 
the  twittering  of  a.feu  de  joie,  repeated  three  times,  ran  along  the 
little  line  of  infantry,  and  the  feeble  rattle  and  cheers,  or  what 
sounded  like  them,  were  borne  down  to  our  ears  on  the  breeze. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  general  dwellers  of  Perim,  who  sat 
perched  on  the  rocks  tike  cormorants,  could  make  out  the  Prince, 
who  touched  his  cap  repeatedly  in  acknowledgment  of  their  to- 
kens of  respect.  The  Szrapis  ran  out  of  Bab-el-Mandeb  (the 
"  Gate  of  Wailing  or  Affliction  "  ?)  at  3.50  P.M.,  and  signalled  to 


ENTERING    ADEN.  79 

the  Osbornc  to  proceed  at  all  speed  to  Aden,  which  was  95  miles 
distant,  to  announce  the  Prince's  coming. 

November  i. — "  Rouse  up  !  Aden  is  in  sight !  "  But  so  it  had 
been  since  1.30  A.M.  As  the  morning  sun  pierced  the  light  cov- 
ering of  fleecy  clouds  which  benevolently  sheltered  us  from  the 
full  fierceness  of  his  welcome  to  the  East,  the  barren  savagery 
of  the  awful  forms  into  which  the  volcanic  eruptions  hardened 
when  their  fires  went  out  was  concealed  in  the  play  of  light  and 
shade  and  shifting  color,  for  the  lava  and  scoriae,  of  which  Aden 
is  made,  have  infinite  variety  of  all  hues  save  green,  and  present 
every  sort  of  outline  except  the  round.  The  ships  in  the  har- 
bor, dressed  out  with  flags,  could  be  made  out  through  the  glass 
at  6  A.M.,  and  many  hundred  feet  high  above  them  could  be  seen 
a  solitary  ensign  fluttering  from  a  staff  erected  on  a  towering 
lava  shaft  of  Ras  Morbat.  At  6.30  A.M.  the  batteries  saluted  the 
distant  flag  of  the  Prince.  Then,  as  the  Serapis  screwed  gently 
landwards,  the  white  bungalows  and  houses,  like  patches  of  snow, 
giving  a  delusive  impression  of  coolness,  against  the  Vandyke 
browns  and  red  and  sennas  of  the  volcanic  background  of  cra- 
ters and  lava  walls,  varying  from  700  to  1700  feet  in  height,  by  de- 
grees began  to  define  themselves.  Presently  we  could  make  out 
that  the  sides  of  the  rugged  cliffs  were  covered  with  human  be- 
ings, that  there  were  many  flags  in  front  of  the  low  white-roofed 
houses,  and  that  there  was  a  red  line  behind  the  platform  which 
was  indicated  as  the  landing-place.  For  once  Aden  looked  gay 
and  bright  indeed,  and  had  decked  herself  in  holiday  attire. 
The  Prince  went  up  on  the  bridge  to  gaze  upon  the  first  fortified 
possession  of  the  Queen  and  "  Empress  of  Hindoostan,"  *  and 
looked  on  the  scene  with  evident  interest.  Just  at  that  moment, 
as  if  to  call  to  mind  what  are  the  foundations  on  which  that  Em- 
pire to  which  he  is  heir  mainly  rests,  the  mail  steamer  from  Bombay 


*  This  was  written  on  November  18.  The  passage  was  published  in  the  "  Times  " 
the  same  month  in  accidental  anticipation  of  the  formal  assumption  of  the  title  by  the 
Oueen  under  the  provision  of  an  net  of  Parliament.  It  was  believed  by  the  writer  at 
the  time  that  by  the  Proclamation  of  Allahabad  the  title  was  legally  assumed  by  her 
Majesty. 


8O  THE    PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

(the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  ship  Lombardy]  appeared  from  be- 
hind the  projecting  Ras  (headland),  to  the  north-east.  A  large 
Arab  dhow,  laden  with  people  who  had  no  great  interest  in  the 
event  of  the  day,  if  one  might  judge  from  their  keeping  on  their 
outward  course,  was  obstinately  bowling  along  to  the  west ; 
another  dhow  stood  in  towards  the  harbor  under  all  sail  close 
hauled ;  but  there  were  no  other  moving  objects  except  a  few 
gulls  on  the  water.  At  anchor  in  the  road  lay  H.M.S.  Osborne, 
H.M.S.  Vulture,  an  Egyptian  sloop  of  war,  a  French  mail  steam- 
er, three  British  steamers,  and  two  or  three  sailing  ships,  flying 
every  flag  they  could  find.  At  6.45  A.M.  the  Serapis  ran  down 
towards  her  moorings  in  West  Bay.  Then  from  a  lava-peak  800 
feet  high  there  spurted  forth  a  bolt  of  snowy  smoke  ;  the  thunder 
rolled  over  the  tremendous  crags,  and  the  report  of  the  cannon 
woke  all  the  grim  steeps  into  life,  and  seemed  to  invite  the  rival- 
ry of  their  ancient  fires.  Gun  succeeded  gun,  battery  followed 
battery,  opening  suddenly  again  and  again  from  unexpected  bluffs 
and  mounds  far  away.  The  Vulture  and  Egyptian  frigate  joined 
in  chorus  as  the  Serapis,  with  the  Prince's  standard  flying,  let  go 
her  anchors  and  brought  up  off  the  landing-place,  about  one  mile 
from  shore.  The  effect  of  the  salute  was  very  fine.  Before  the 
anchors  were  well  down,  the  Somali  boys,  familiar  to  all  visitors 
to  Aden,  came  alongside,  paddling  their  frail  canoes,  which  re- 
semble the  longitudinal  section  of  a  large  cigar,  and  hold  at  most 
two  of  these  naked,  curly-headed  young  vagabonds,  who  are  more 
at  home  in  the  water  than  on  land.  They  at  once  began  to  call 
for  money  to  be  thrown  overboard  that  they  might  show  their 
skill  in  diving, — very  different  from  their  congeners  at  Greenwich 
in  the  whitebait  season, — and  their  appeals  were  answered  by  a 
shower  of  pence.  They  expected  more  precious  coins  from  such 
a  noble  ship,  no  doubt,  and  the  first  Somali  who  came  up  from  a 
deep  dive  after  a  penny  made  a  horrible  grimace  as  soon  as  he 
rose  to  the  surface  and  saw  the  piece  of  money,  the  color  of  his 
own  skin,  which  he  had  rescued  from  the  depths.  The  Prince 
watched  their  gambols  for  some  time,  and  shot  a  couple  of  gulls 
which  they  dashed  at  like  water-dogs,  and  fastened  to  a  string 


LANDING    IN    ADEN.  8 1 

that  they  might  be  hauled  up  the  side.  Certainly,  next  to  otters 
or  seals,  there  are  no  such  swift,  keen-sighted  divers,  and  the  way 
in  which  they  get  into  their  miserable  leaky  canoes,  which  must 
be  baled  out  incessantly,  is  very  adroit.  Civilization  is  making 
way  among  them,  for,  though  they  still  dye  their  hair  red,  and 
twist  it  into  corkscrew  curls  defying  imitation,  they  have  adopted 
simpler  styles  of  ornamentation  in  head-dresses,  and  wear  draw, 
ers  or  loin-cloths.  Soon  after  8  A.M.  the  Prince  came  on  deck 
wearing  Indian  helmet,  plumes,  blue  frock  undress,  Field-Mar- 
shal's insignia,  and  white  trousers,  the  suite  being  ordered  to  ap- 
pear in  parade  dress,  or  civil  uniform,  helmets,  and  white  trou- 
sers. Presently,  the  Resident,  Brigadier-General  Schneider  and 
Staff,  Colonel  Penn,  R.A.,  £c.,  came  off  in  full  uniform,  to  pay 
their  respects,  and  to  take  the  Prince's  pleasure  as  to  the  time 
of  landing,  and  the  arrangements  for  his  reception.  There  was 
a  brief  space  of  time  to  prepare  despatches  and  letters  for  home, 
and  to  send  on  telegrams  to  India. 

The  Resident  then  returned  to  shore.  A  little  after  9  A.M. 
the  Prince  embarked  in  the  State  barge,  to  which  his  flag  was 
transferred  from  the  main  ;  the  shore  batteries  and  the  ships 
saluted  again ;  the  Serapis  manned  yards  ;  the  Marines,  under 
Major  Snow,  were  drawn  up  on  the  main-deck,  the  band  playing 
"God  save  the  Queen."  The  Lomban/y  manned  foreyards  in 
very  creditable  style,  and  her  crew  and  passengers  cheered 
bravely.  About  9.30  A.M.  the  Prince  landed  at  the  triumphal 
arch  or  covered  way  prepared  for  his  reception.  The  platform 
was  laid  with  scarlet  carpeting,  and  was  covered  with  an  awning, 
or  shamianah.  At  the  water-step  stood  in  front  the  Resident 
and  the  officers  of  the  Staff  and  of  the  garrison  of  Aden.  On 
the  left  stood  the  Foreign  Consuls,  the  officials  and  Residents, — 
European,  Asiatic,  and  African. — of  every  kind  of  dress,  com- 
plexion, and  aspect. 

On  the  right  side  were  drawn  up  the  Arab  Chiefs,  the  Sultan 

of  Lahej,  his  brothers,  and   some   six  or  seven  other  Chiefs  or 

"  Sultans "  from  the   mainland,  in  most  picturesque  costumes, 

who  first  attracted  the  Prince's  attention.     They  received  his 

4*  6 


82  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Royal  Highness  with  a  kind  of  proud  deference.  One  Sultan 
could  not  come  on  account  of  fever,  but  most  of  those  whom  we 
subsidize  to  give  and  protect  the  carriage  of  supplies  to  the 
garrison  attended.  It  is  a  pity  some  opera  costumer  could  not 
have  seen  them.  He  might  enlist  a  legion  of  supernumeraries 
before  he  could  find  such  a  picturesque  creature  as  one  of  the 
Sultan's  brothers.  Figure  and  face  might  have  belonged  to  some 
clothed  statue  but  for  the  eye,  which  burnt  and  flashed  like  glass 
reflecting  the  rays  of  the  desert  sun.  Impossible  to  convey  an 
idea  of  his  splendid  repose,  or  to  describe  his  dress,  which  ter- 
minated (alas  !)  in  a  pair  of  socks  and  French  bottines. 

The  Prince,  acknowledging  the  loud  cheers  which  greeted 
his  landing,  walked  down  the  platform  to  the  esplanade  at  the 
end,  where  a  guard  of  honor  of  one  hundred  men  of  the  2d 
Battalion,  25th  King's  Own  Borderers  Regiment,  with  their 
colors,  was  drawn  up  in  front  of  a  handsomely-decorated  Stand, 
which  contained  all  the  ladies  of  the  garrison  and  Station,  some 
in  European  and  some  in  Asiatic  costumes.  On  the  front  of  the 
Stand  waved  the  Prince  of  Wales's  plumes,  composed  of  one 
hundred  ostrich  feathers,  and,  emblazoned  in  gold  and  blue,  an 
inscription  bade  the  Royal  traveller  "Welcome."  As  he  emerged 
from  the  shelter  of  the  awning  into  the  bright  sunshine,  and  his 
eye  rested  on  the  extraordinary  gathering  of  natives  on  the  crags 
and  rocks,  where  they  were  nestling  like  sea-fowl  of  curious  plu- 
mage and  color,  he  might  well  have  been  struck  with  admira- 
tion at  the  unpremeditated  picturesqueness  of  the  scene.  There 
were  weird  and  wonderful  types  of  humanity  from  the  opposite 
coast  of  Africa,  wearing  hair  resembling  small  snakes,  stiffened 
like  quills,  or  falling  down  like  red  fungi  on  each  side  of  their 
faces,  the  men  often  far  over  six  feet  in  height,  with  dazzling 
white  teeth,  scanty  clothing,  and  legs  which  might  be  taken  for 
mop-handles ;  fierce-eyed  Arabs,  demure  Hindoos,  sleek  Parsees 
from  Bombay,  and  varied  specimens  of  the  teeming  populations 
which  come  from  the  Persian  Gulf  and  the  Coast  of  Africa  to 
Zanzibar,  and  from  the  shores  of  the  country  marked  as  Arabia 
Deserta  in  our  maps.  Such  dresses,  as  well  as  such  absence  of 


ADDRESS    OF    WELCOME.  83 

apparel,  although  he  has  now  travelled  in  many  lands,  and  has 
seen  many  strange  sights,  had  never  yet  met  the  gaze  of  the 
Prince. 

When  the  Prince  returned  to  the  shamianah,  Mr.  Cowasjee 
Durshaw  was  presented  by  the  Resident.  This  gentleman  has, 
by  honorable  industry,  raised  himself  to  a  high  position  in  Aden. 
He  is  a  Parsee,  and  he  wore  the  distinctive  head-dress  of  his 
people,  which  was  adopted  from  the  Hindoos,  flowing  robes  of 
pure  white  muslin,  trousers  of  the  same,  and  shoes  turned  up 
at  the  toes.  He  proceeded  to  read  an  address  from  a  hand- 
somely illuminated  volume.*  At  first  his  voice  was  somewhat 


*  As  this  was  the  nrst  address  which  the  Prince  received  to  the  east  of  Europe,  it 
is  worth  while  to  print  the  text,  which  was  very  handsomely  emblazoned  and  bound  in 
an  illuminated  cover.  The  Parsees  telegraphed  both  address  and  answer  the  same 
night  to  Bombay  fcr  the  information  of  their  community. 

"  To  his  Royal  Highness  Albert  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  Duke  of  Saxe 
Coburg  and  Gotha,  Duke  of  Cornwall,  £c. 

"  May  it  please  your  Royal  Highness, — 

"  We,  the  undersigned  inhabitants  of  Aden,  representing  the  mercantile 
community,  humbly  beg  leave  to  approach  and  welcome  your  Royal  High- 
ness on  arrival  at  the  first  British  possession  belonging  to  her  Majesty's  vast 
dominions  in  India. 

"  We  feel  gratified  for  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  us  of  expressing 
through  your  Royal  Highness  our  loyalty  and  devotion  for  Her  Most  Gracious 
Majesty  the  Queen  and  Empress  of  India. 

"  We  fully  appreciate  the  motive  which  induces  your  Royal  Highness  to 
visit  India,  and  confidently  believe  that  it  will  tend  still  further  to  cement  the 
cordial  understanding  that  now  happily  subsists  between  her  Majesty's 
British  and  Indian  subjects.  We  desire  to  acknowledge  with  gratitude  the 
blessings  we  enjoy  under  the  mild  and  just  sway  of  her  Majesty's  Government, 
as  exemplified  in  the  yearly  increasing  prosperity  of  this  important  military 
settlement.  When  Aden  was  captured  in  1839,  being  the  first  of  the  territorial 
conquests  that  have  been  made  during  the  glorious  reign  of  Queen  Victoria, 
it  was  only  a  small  fishing  village;  but  under  the  fostering  care  of  British 
rule  it  has  expanded,  as  your  Royal  Highness  will  this  day  see,  and  it  has  be- 
come a  large  and  prosperous  town,  containing  a  population  of  nearly  30,000 
souls,  composed  of  many  creeds  and  races,  and  an  import  and  export  trade 
showing  transactions  valued  at  upwards  of  two  millions  sterling.  Werecog- 
nize  in  your  Royal  Highness's  visit  to  India  a  desire  to  become  acquainted 


84  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

tremulous,  but  as  he  read  on  he  acquired  confidence,  making  a 
low  bow  whenever  he  had  occasion  to  allude  to  the  Queen,  the 
Prince,  or  Princess,  and  pronouncing  his  English  very  plainly, 
he  came  at  last  to  the  end.  His  co-religionists,  a  knot  of  eminent- 
ly respectable,  intelligent-looking  men,  dressed  for  the  most 
part  with  greater  richness  than  their  spokesman,  listened  to  the 
address  and  to  the  Prince's  reply  with  the  profoundest  attention. 
The  Arabs  were  somewhat  bored,  it  struck  me,  with  both  the 
Parsees  and  with  their  address,  and  looked  disappointed  when 
the  Prince  walked  towards  the  carriages  prepared  for  him  and 
his  suite.  The  Peninsula  is  not  rich  in  such  vehicles,  but  the 
Resident  and  the  chief  merchants  had  collected  enough  of  Vic- 
torias and  four-wheelers  for  all  the  suite,  not  without  calling  in 
the  resources  of  Bombay  The  guard  presented  arms,  the  peo- 
ple cheered  loudly,  and  the  cortege,  escorted  by  Major  Stevens' 
Aden  Troop, — very  picturesque  cavaliers  from  India,  in  red  tur- 
bans, dark  tunics  and  jack-boots,  mounted  on  fiery  little  horses, 
and  armed  with  tremendous  sabres, — preceded  by  a  body  of 
Shortee  Sowars, — Native  troopers  riding  fast  dromedaries, — set 
out  along  an  excellent  road,  to  visit  "  the  lines,"  which  extend 
some  six  miles  from  end  to  end.  The  sides  of  the  road  were 
lined  by  H.  M.'s  25th  Regiment,  the  2d  Bombay  N.I.  Grena- 
diers, the  Royal  Artillery,  and  by.  detachments  of  Native  Sappers, 

with  the-  manners,  customs,  and  institutions  of  its  people,  which  cannot  fail 
to  be  productive  to  the  teeming  populations  over  which  your  Royal  Highness 
is  destined  hereafter  to  reign.  To  commemorate  your  Royal  Highness's 
visit  to  Aden,  we  have  set  aside  the  sum  of  Rs.  20,000,  to  found  a  charitable 
dispensary,  which,  with  your  Royal  Highness's  permission,  we  propose  to 
style  the  Prince  of  Wales's  Charitable  Dispensary.  We  beg,  in  conclusion, 
to  express  to  your  Royal  Highness  our  earnest  hope  that  your  Royal  mother, 
our  most  gracious  Sovereign,  may  long  be  spared  to  reign  over  us,  and  also 
that  her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess  of  Wales  and  the  Royal  children  may 
enjoy,  with  your  Royal  Highness,  long  lives  of  peace  and  happiness,  surround- 
ed by  all  the  blessings  this  world  can  give. 

"  We  beg  to  subscribe  ourselves  your  Royal   Highness's  most  obedient, 
humble  servants, 

"COWASJEE  DURSHAW,  and  others." 


THE    TURKS    IN    ARABIA.  85 

Gun  Lascars.  The  European  troops  wore  Indian  hemlets,  the 
Native  troops  turbans  with  distinctive  badges.  Along  the 
greater  part  of  the  route  crowds  of  "  Natives,"  kept  in  order 
by  vigilant,  yellow-turbaned  policemen,  assembled  at  the  best 
places.  Of  the  30,000  souls  in  Aden,  there  were  few  who  did 
not  come  to  look  at  the  Prince,  though  there  were  some  who 
stood  afar,  as  if  fearful  of  coming  too  close.  A  crowd  of  bhees- 
ties  watered  the  dusty  road  in  vain.  When  the  clouds  opened 
for  a  moment,  the  sun  let  fall  rays  like  red-hot  iron  bars,  and 
umbrellas  and  dust-coats  were  in  requisition. 

The  Prince  passed  under  many  triumphal  arches  (six  or 
seven  at  least),  each  with  appropriate  inscriptions  and  devices, 
visited  the  new  works,  saw  the  tanks,  and  halted  for  half  an  hour 
at  the  Mess-house  of  the  25th  (K.O.B.),  where  there  was  a  col- 
lation, which  was  very  welcome.  Thence  he  continued  his  in- 
spection of  the  "  lines,"  passing  through  the  tunnels,  and  getting 
out  of  his  carriage  at  the  Victoria  Bastion  to  take  a  look  from 
the  top  of  the  rampart  over  the  low  spit  which  connects  Aden 
with  the  mainland.  In  the  distance  there  could  be  made  out  a 
few  trees  and  a  small  white-walled  hamlet — the  outpost  of  the 
Aden  Horse.  The  Turkish  outposts  were  at  Thiais.  They 
extend  thence  across  Fow,  at  the  distance  of  120  miles  from  our 
outposts.  A  new  Pasha  had  come  to  command  at  Sana,  and  he 
had  just  given  the  Hashad  Arabs  a  complete  defeat.  The  prox- 
imity of  the  Turks  and  the  movements  of  the  Egyptians  along 
the  opposite  coast  cause  uneasiness  at  Aden.  If  it  were  the 
object  of  our  Government  to  precipitate  the  collapse  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  they  would  be  pleased  to  hear  that  the  Sultan 
is  keeping  up  an  army  of  30,000  or  40,000  troops  against  the 
Arab  tribes,  at  an  incalculable  cost.  There  surely  seems  to  be 
no  solid  reason  for  the  smallest  jealousy  of  Egyptian  influence 
over  the  tribes  which  the  Khedive  is  taking  in  hand  on  the 
African  side,  for  it  must  be  our  interest  to  see  a  settled  adminis- 
tration along  the  coast,  and  to  deal  with  civilized,  instead  of 
savage  government. 

The  climate  seems  favorable  to  the  production  of  a  somewhat 


86  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

light  and  acid  humor.  The  inscriptions  over  some  of  the  designs 
of  the  cantonments  indicated  the  existence  of  a  certain  caustic 
fun,  which  may  be  the  result  of  a  residence  on  this  somewhat 
over-sunny  peninsula.  Over  the  portal  of  one  building  was  in- 
scribed "  Morituri  te  salutant !  "  On  inquiry  it  turned  out  that 
the  place  was  the  garrison  slaughter-house.  On  another  build- 
ing was  depicted  a  blazing  yellow  sun  of  a  sinister  aspect,  wink- 
ing one  eye  at  an  arid  waste  of  stones,  dotted  with  scanty  her- 
bage and  half-starved  camels,  with  the  legend  "Welcome  to 
Araby  the  Blest !  "  Some  classical  artist  had  limned  a  dark 
young  lady,  in  native  garb,  advancing  to  meet  an  unmistakable 
Britannia,  with  the  words,  "  Mater  pulchra  filia  pulchrior  !"  A 
materialist  had  designed  a  pile  of  champagne  bottles,  with  the 
motto,  "  Thirsty  Aden  drinks  to  thee !  "  In  front  of  the  modest 
library  was  the  inscription,  "  Hail  !  Author  of  our  joy  !  "  There 
were  endless  "Welcomes,"  and  "  Hails,"  and  "Good  wishes," 
and  a  "  Cead  mille  failthe.  "  "  Freedom  for  all  under  the 
British  Flag !  "  "  Great  Britain  and  India  united  for  ever  !  " 
"  Hail,  electrifier  of  loyal  hearts ! "  "  Hail,  Royal  scion  of  a 
noble  Queen  !  "  "  Happy  and  glorious  is  the  reign  of  Victoria  !  " 
"  Aden  owes  her  prosperity  to  Britain  ;"  "  Our  Arab  tents  are 
rude  for  thee."  There  were  few  if  any  Arabic  or  Ordoo  inscrip- 
tions, and  only  one  or  two  in  French  or  other  European  lan- 
guage. 

Above  the  portal  of  the  Main  Guard,  which  is  situated  in  the 
throat  of  a  narrow  ravine  at  the  Pass — a  rift  in  the  rugged  crater 
wall,  so  wild  and  dark  that  one  might  pardon  those  who  thought 
the  Inferno  lay  inside — were  written  the  words  "  Halt !  who  goes 
there  ?  "  As  we  passed  the  grinning  mouths  of  the  guns  which 
seemed  to  ask  the  question,  there  was  no  reply ;  but  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  Pass,  friend  !  And  all's  well,"  greeted  the  Royal  visitor 
at  the  exit.  On  another  archway  there  was  emblazoned  a 
"  Hearty  Welcome,"  which,  when  the  Prince  returned  through 
the  gate  on  his  way  back,  was  replaced  by  "  Farewell,  Albert 
Edward  !  our  hearts  go  with  thee  !  " 

At  12.30  P.M.  the  Prince  reached  the  Residency,  a  large  bun- 


THE    FIRST    LEVEE.  8/ 

galow,  situated  on  an  elevated  peak  of  one  of  the  higher  ridges 
of  Aden,  and  looking  down  on  a  quiet  bay  hundreds  of  feet  be- 
low. It  is  a  plain,  unpretentious,  and  not  very  extensive  quad- 
rangle, of  which,  though  it  was  decked  out  with  much  taste  inside, 
any  great  Indian  civilian  would  not  think  much  of  as  an  official 
residence.  The  gardens  were  laid  out  by  Colonel  Playfair  when 
he  was  Resident,  with  the  assistance  of  Dr.  George  Birdwood, 
who  sent  the  frankincense  trees,  which  form  such  interesting 
objects,  from  Bombay.*  The  sight  of  shrubs  and  flowers  so 
green  and  bright,  in  a  setting  of  rugged  scoriae,  is  very  refreshing. 
There  is  a  very  interesting  flora  at  Aden,  for  all  its  barreness, 
and  Mr.  Mudd,  the  Prince's  botanist,  made  valuable  additions 
to  his  collection  here. 

Mrs.  and  Miss  Schneider  were  presented  to  the  Prince. 
After  lunch  his  Royal  Highness  held  his  first  levee  in  the  Indian 
dominions  of  the  Queen — for  Aden  may  be  considered  as  an 
outlying  dependency  of  the  Presidency  of  Bombay — in  the  outer 
room  in  the  Residency,  which  was  in  some  degree  cooled  by  the 
current  of  air  through  mat  hangings  outside  the  porch,  and  by 
verandas  jealously  excluding  the  sun.  Captain  Hunter,  Lieu- 
tenant Kennedy,  Lieutenant  Sealy,  and  the  officers  of  the  Aden 
staff — Military,  Marine,  Judicial,  Medical,  &c. — were  duly  pre- 
sented by  the  Resident.  Mr.  Jones,  the  Garrison  Chaplain, 
Father  Francis,  the  Roman  Catholic  Chaplain,  in  cowl  and  cord 
and  sandal  shoon,  were  not  forgotten.  The  Foreign  Consular 
officers  presented  the  Prince  with  an  address  ;  Herr  Ganslandt, 
Consul  for  Germany,  offered  a  few  words  of  congratulation,  ap- 
parently on  his  own  account.  There  was  also  an  Egyptian 
officer,  who  said  he  came  in  the  Khedive's  name  to  offer  a  wel- 
come to  the  Prince.  The  principal  merchants  of  Aden  were  in- 
troduced. Next  came  the  reception  of  the  Arab  Chiefs — very 
real  men  to  look  at — with  a  sort  of  proud  suspicion  and  disdain 
in  their  glances  at  all  save  the  Prince — and  all  picturesque  and 

*  The  descriptions  and  figures  of  three  new  species  of  the  genus  Boswellia,  which 
were  discovered  by  Dr.  Birdwood,  appeared  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  Linnean 
Society  »  in  1869. 


88  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

sufficiently  graceful ;  the  most  interesting,  spite  of  the  attractions 
of  his  wild -eyed  brother,  was  the  Sultan  of  Lahej,  who  was  in- 
troduced by  the  Resident  to  the  Prince  of  Wales  "  as  a  faithful 
ally  of  the  Queen."  This  Chief,  Fadhil  bin  Ali  al  Abdala,  Sul- 
tan, who  succeeded  Fadhil  bin  Mohun  last  year,  is  of  olive  com- 
plexion, mild  aspect,  with  soft  lustrous  eyes,  black  mustache 
and  small  curling  beard.  He  was  richly  dressed,  and  fully 
armed  with  scimetar  and  pistols ;  but  to  the  horror  of  the  old 
Indians  of  the  party,  he  was  in  stockings  and  boots  instead  of 
bare  feet.  General  Schneider  held  the  left  hand  of  the  Sultan 
in  his  right,  and  between  the  Sultan  and  the  Prince  stood  the 
native  interpreter.  In  a  few  graceful  words,  the  Prince  expressed 
his  acknowledgments,  on  behalf  of  the  Queen,  of  the  services 
rendered  by  the  Sultan  to  the  garrison  of  Aden  ;  and  as  a 
souvenir  of  his  visit  he  pinned  one  of  the  medals  struck  for  the 
Indian  visit,  and  to  which  there  was  attached  a  blue  ribbon,  on 
the  Sultan's  left  breast,  and  then  put  a  massive  gold  ring,  with 
the  initials  A.E.,  on  the  Sultan's  finger.  The  ceremonial  was 
explained  by  General  Schneider,  through  the  interpreter,  to  him 
of  Lahej,  who  never  looked  at  either  medal  or  ring  while  in  the 
Prince's  presence. 

For  all  his  pride  and  pleasure  the  poor  Chief  was  nursing  a 
small  wound.  He  had  been  refused  "the  completion  of  his  joy." 
Here  is  the  translation  of  a  letter  which  will  explain  his  grief  : — 

From  SULTAN  FUDHL  BIN  ALI,  of  Lahej,  to  GENERAL  SCHNEIDER  C.  B.  A.  C. 
I  inform  you  that  your  letter  dated  the  loth  October  has  reached 
me,  and  its  contents  are  understood.  It  has  delighted  me  exceedingly,  as  it  con- 
tained the  news  of  the  approach  of  H.  R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,the  future  King. 
I  also  became  very  glad  for  your  invitation  to  come  to  Aden  on  that  day.  I 
hope  that  you  will  complete  my  joy  by  allowing  me  to  enter  Aden  with  at  least 
one  hundred  men,  and  after  the  meeting  I  will  leave  the  town  at  once,  because 
I  am  only  coming  to  see  one  who  is  a  most  powerful  and  majestic  friend.  Al- 
though the  meeting  will  take  place  only  for  a  moment,  it  will  be  enough.  If 
you  will  not  permit  me  to  come  with  one  hundred  followers,  I  will  still  come 
to  pay  my  homage  to  the  great  Prince,  but  it  will  be  with  grief,  and  it  is  not 
proper  to  wear  sorrow  while  all  my  friends  are  rejoicing  ;  so  please  keep  sor 
row  away  from  me,  by  giving  permission.  May  you  remain  for  ever. 
1 8  Ramzan,  1292. 


THE    FIRST    LEVEE.  89 

The  Resident,  however,  did  not  think  it  expedient  to  grant 
this  humble  petition.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  nevertheless,  that  the 
Sultan  went  back  with  a  light  heart.  General  Schneider  ap- 
pears to  understand  the  Chiefs  and  to  be  liked  by  them,  and  he 
would  not  have  rejected  the  demand  without  good  reasons  for  it. 

Aden  may  be  regarded  as  our  Indian  Gibraltar.  There  is 
an  evidence  of  the  cost  of  Empire  in  the  cemetery  where  rest  so 
many  of  our  people — very  numerous  indeed  for  the  size  of  the 
place.  They  do  not  fall  in  battle,  but  they  fail  on  the  homeward 
voyage — too  often  deferred  till  all  hope  is  over — from  India. 
Whilst  the  Prince  was  at  the  Residency,  Captain  Glyn  visited 
the  grave  of  his  brother  Richard,  who  was  buried  at  Aden  on 
his  way  to  England  at  the  close  of  the  mutiny,  and  old  com- 
rades of  the  Rifle  Brigade  and  friends  will  be  glad  to  learn  that 
the  place  where  he  rests  is  carefully  kept,  and  that  all  about  it  is 
in  order.  There  is  no  ancient  record  of  travel  in  which  this 
cinder-heap  is  not  mentioned  as  a  place  of  importance.  It  has 
now  been  37  years  in  the  possession  of  Great  Britain,  and  yet  it 
is  on]y  within  the  last  17  years  that  the  restoration  of  the  fifty 
and  odd  reservoirs,  some  of  which  were  probably  constructed 
more  than  1260  years  ago,  was  undertaken  ;  so  that  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century  we  allowed  a  rapid  ruin  to  fall  upon  these 
wonderful  works  which  uncivilized  and  barbarous  nations,  as  we 
call  them,  perfected.  When  Captain  Haines  visited  Aden,  four 
years  before  we  attacked  and  took  it,  several  of  the  reservoirs — 
"  the  hanging-tanks  up  the  hill-sides "  were  in  perfect  order. 
The  "  fine  remains  of  ancient  splendor  "  which  Salt  saw  in  1809, 
have  now  all  vanished.  If  we  were  to  leave  Aden  to-morrow, 
the  works  which  would  record  our  presence  would  be  few  indeed 
— a  mess-house  or  two,  a  small  quay,  a  light-house,  some  batteries 
and  stone  walls,  and  imperfect  restorations  of  the  doings  of  oth- 
ers. And  yet  the  very  names  of  the  makers  of  the  great  tanks 
which  we  are  clearing  out  are  unknown,  and  the  impression  left 
on  the  minds  of  the  general  Briton  quartered  in  the  place  by 
the  operation  is,  very  probably,  that  we  are  executing  great  con- 
ceptions never  thought  of  in  the  dark  ages.  Playfair's  "  History 


90  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

of  Yemen  "  gives  a  most  interesting  account  of  the  efforts  made 
500  years  ago  to  convey  water  into  Aden.  When  the  first  sys- 
tem of  reservoirs  was  restored  and  constructed  in  1857,  a  single 
fall  of  rain,  we  are  told,  gave  a  larger  store  of  water  than  all 
the  wells  would  have  yielded  in  a  year.  Proud  of  steam  power, 
however,  we  preferred  condensers  to  any  attempt  to  take  the 
goods  the  gods  provide  us,  and  for  a  long  time  were  glad  to  pay 
6s.  or  7-f.  for  100  gallons  of  very  vapid  oxide  of  hydrogen. 

The  population  of  Aden  is  housed,  for  the  most  part,  in 
wigwams.  The  place  is  a  penal  settlement  for  India,  and  peo- 
ple whom  it  would  be  inconvenient  to  keep  in  Bombay  and  its 
dependencies  are  deported  to  this  garrison,  over  the  entrance  to 
which  the  inscription  above  the  Gates  of  the  Hell  which  Dante 
saw  might  well  be  placed,  although  it  could  not  add  to  their  mis- 
ery. Jaswtint  Rao  Jasood,  one  of  those  alleged  to  have  been 
engaged  in  the  attempt  to  poison  Colonel  Phayre,  was  deported 
here  by  order  of  the  Government  of  India,  and  was  in  Aden  at 
the  time  of  the  Prince's  visit, — probably  not  at  large, — and  there 
were  possibly  others  connected  with  the  same  business  ;  but  the 
writ  of  Habeas  Corpus  does  not  run  in  these  parts  of  the 
Queen's  dominions.  As  far  as  I  know,  there  was  no  judicial 
sentence  of  any  kind  against  Jaswunt  Rao  Jasood.  The  two 
Maharajas  and  Sir  Madhava  Rao,  indeed,  dissented  so  complete- 
ly from  their  European  colleagues  as  to  say  that  they  did  not 
believe  the  Gaekwar  had  instigated  any  attempt  against  Colonel 
Phayre's  life,  and,  pro  tanto,  they  acquitted  those  who  were  on 
trial,  or  whose  guilt  was  being  inquired  into  ;  but  all  the  same, 
the  Indian  Government  deposed  the  Gaekwar,  and  sent  Jaswunt 
Rao  and  others  into  exile.  When  the  Prince  was  at  Baroda,  a 
petition  was  delivered  at  the  Residency  from  the  family  of  Jas- 
wunt, praying  that  they  might  be  allowed  to  communicate  with 
him  at  Aden,  but  the  Prince  could  not  interfere  in  the  matter. 

There  is  a  regulation  which  is  founded  on  the  assumption 
that  Aden  commands  the  Red  Sea,  and  that  Great  Britain  is  the 
mistress  of  that  sea,  which,  if  enforced,  ought  to  enable  the 
British  authorities  to  exercise  enormous  influence.  Every  vessel 


EXILES    IN   ADEN.  9 1 

carrying  more  than  thirty  passengers,  natives  of  Asia  or  Africa, 
from  any  port  east  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  any  port  in 
the  Red  Sea,  or  from  any  port  in  the  Red  Sea  to  any  port  on  the 
East  Coast  of  Africa,  must  touch  at  Aden,  and  not  depart  with- 
out a  clean  bill  of  health.  But  why  thirty?  Or  how  can  the 
number  be  ascertained  ?  These  questions  are  not  easily  to  be 
answered.  The  sea-imports  of  Aden  in  1874-5  were  no  less  than 
2,050,8377. ;  the  exports  were  1,278,3657. ;  total  of  exports  and  im- 
ports, 3,329;202/.  Where  the  difference,  amounting  to  772,472/1, 
between  the  incomings  and  outgoings  went,  it  is  difficult  to 
conjecture.  But  it  is  a  very  unpleasant  fact  for  Manchester, 
that  American  piece-goods  are  sold  here  at  a  higher  price  than 
English  manufactures,  and  are  sent  from  Aden  to  Mocha  and 
Hodeida  in  very  large  quantities.  There  are  eyes  from  Ger- 
many, France,  Austria,  Italy,  Holland,  Sweden,  etc.,  upon  us  at 
Aden,  for  there  are  Consular  officers  to  represent  these  Powers ; 
but  Turkey  and  the  United  States  seem  to  leave  us  to  our  own 
devices.  The  garrison  of  Aden  consists  of  a  Battalion  of 
Queen's  troops,  a  Battalion  of  Native  troops,  two  Batteries  of 
Royal  Artillery,  one  Company  of  Indian  Artillery,  one  Company 
of  Indian  Sappers  and  Miners,  and  the  Aden  Troop  belonging 
to  a  regiment  of  Bombay  Cavalry.  The  political  and  military 
functions  are  in  the  hands  of  the  Resident,  who  is  also  charged 
with  the  administration  of  justice,  in  which  he  is  assisted  by 
subordinate  officers  and  the  Cantonment  magistrate.  He  is  the 
Sovereign's  representative,  to  whom  the  Arab  tribes  look,  if  not 
for  protection,  at  any  rate  for  the  payment  of  annual  subven- 
tions ;  and  it  is  a  curious,  if  inevitable,  feature  in  the  dealings 
of  the  British  Government  with  their  very  odd  allies  here,  as  well 
as  on  the  North-west  frontier  of  India,  that  it  pays  them  tribute 
instead  of  receiving  tribute  from  them.  We  may  put  any  gloss 
we  please  on  the  fact,  but  the  naked  truth  which  the  payees  per- 
ceive under  it  is,  that  they  receive  our  money  to  be  quiet.  The 
Abdalees  and  the  Fadthalees  were  our  bitter  enemies  for  several 
years  after  the  British  occupation  ;  but  they  were  beaten  into 
treaty-obligations  ;  and  to  the  Chief  of  the  first  tribe  (Lahej)  we 


Q2  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

pay  6942  German  crowns  a  year  ;  to  the  Chief  of  the  second 
Sultan  of  the  Faclthalees,  2160  ;  and  to  the  Chiefs  of  seven  other 
tribes,  little  gratuities  varying  from  So/,  to  the  modest  sum  of 
8/.  per  annum.  We  are  supposed  to  be  the  protectors  of  these 
tribes  against  the  encroachments  of  the  Turks,  and  the  eye  of 
the  Resident  is  supposed  to  look  across  the  narrow  sea,  also 
keep  a  keen  glance  on  the  opposite  coast,  and  watch  the  uncanny 
doings  of  the  Egyptians. 

There  are  now  ninety-four  guns  in  position,  and  heavy  guns 
are  much  needed  on  two  of  the  points.  Ten  9-in.  guns  are  to  be 
mounted  immediately ;  but  they  have  been  lying  exposed  to  the 
weather  for  the  last  five  years.  There  ought  to  be  at  least  three 
more  batteries  between  the  Camp  and  Steamer  Point,  which  are 
six  miles  apart.  In  consequence  of  a  recommendation  of  Lord 
Sandhurst  in  1864,  the  Native  Artillery  are  to  be  removed,  and 
replaced  by  fifty  Lascars,  who  are  of  no  use  as  garrison  gunners, 
and  do  not  know  enough  drill  to  enable  them  to  fire  a  salute. 
There  is  one  point  from  which  an  enemVs  steamer  could  reach 
the  coal  depots.  This  should  be  secured. 

Having  taken  leave  of  Mrs.  Schneider  and  her  daughter,  the 
Prince  walked  down  the  steep  path  from  the  Residency  to  the 
beach,  where  the  steam-launch  and  boats  of  the  Serapis  were 
waiting  in  a  secluded  little  bay.  There  was  no  crowd  to  witness 
his  departure  ;  no  one  except  a  few  Arab  fishermen,  who  did 
not  heed  what  was  going  on.  The  many  who  were  loitering 
about  the  platform  and  triumphal  arch  were  no  doubt  taken  by 
surprise  when  the  guns  fired  a  salute,  and  the  manned  yards  of 
the  Serapis  and  Vulture,  and  the  cheers  of  the  crews,  announced 
that  the  Prince  was  going  on  board  without  returning  from  the 
Residency  to  the  landing-stage.  The  Resident  and  the  prin- 
cipal officers  of  the  Staff,  the  commanding  officers  of  her  Maj- 
esty's 25th  (2cl  Battalion),  K.O.B.  (Colonel  Wallace),  and  2d 
Bombay  Grenadiers  (Lieut.-Colonel  Stanley  Edwardes).  Colonel 
Perm,  R.A.,  Major  Stevens,  Aden  Troop,  Commander  Brooke, 
R.N.,  &c.,  were  invited  to  the  Prince's,  table  on  board  the 
Serapis ;  and  a  dinner  was  also  given  by  the  ward-room  officers 


SOMETHING    WRONG    BELOW.  93 

to  the  officers  of  the  garrison.  The  town,  the  lines  and  the 
batteries  were  lighted  up  and  illuminated  at  nightfall.  At  9  P.M. 
Brigadier-General  Schneider  and  officers  took  leave  of  the 
Prince,  and  returned  to  Aden.  At  10.30  P.M.  the  Scrapis,  with 
the  Osborne  in  company,  quietly  got  under  way,  and  steamed 
out  into  the  placid  ocean  for  Bombay. 

November  2. — Our  log-book  is, a  record  of  dry  accomplished 
facts,  for  "  incidents  "  are  distasteful  to  our  excellent  and  prac- 
tically-minded Captain  ;  all  non-essential  matter  is  carefully  es- 
chewed ;  even  the  capture  of  a  "booby"  or  a  "noddy"  would 
not  have  been  entered.  The  wind  was  generally  light  and  favor- 
able— that  is  ahead,  so  as  to  make  the  boilers  draw.  The  dis- 
tance allowed  per  24  hours  was  246  knots,  and  at  48  revolutions 
the  Serapis  did  that  run  very  readily  "  when  nothiL--  went 
wrong."  At  noon  our  position  was  determined  to  be  lat.  12° 
59'  N.,  long.  47°  22'  E.,  there  being  only  i'  difference  between 
the  ship's  place  according  to  dead  reckoning  and  that  given  by 
observation.  Distance  from  Aden,  134  miles  ;  from  Colaba 
Light-House,  1510  miles.  The  thermometer  rose  to  81°,  the 
temperature  of  sea-water  was  78°.  Nor  birds,  nor  ship,  nor  fish 
proper,  were  'sible,  but  the  sea  abounded  in  incredible  quanti- 
ties of  jelly-fish  of  all  sizes,  from  the  bigness  of  a  florin  to  that 
of  the  top  of  one's  hat,  which,  exhibiting  many  pretty  colors, 
were  floating  at  various  depths — some  nearly  on  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  some  far  down  as  the  eye  could  reach.  At  2.10 
P.M.  there  was  a  sensation.  The  ship  suddenly  stopped.  Every 
one  was  instant  in  inquiry,  "What  is  it?  Why  are  we  stop- 
ping? '"'  The  cause  was  soon  explained.  A  condensing  pipe  was 
out  of  order.  It  was  set  to  rights  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and 
the  vessel  proceeded  on  her  way  •  but  in  little  more  than  an 
hour  the  screw  again  ceased  to  work.  Then  great  Mr.  Oliver, 
Inspector  of  Machinery  afloat, — a  hard-headed  Oliver  Cromwell 
sort  of  Scot,  master  of  his  work, — took  off  his  coat,  and  dived 
down  the  ladder  into  the  interior  of  the  murky  turmoil  of  boilers, 
pistons,  and  furnaces,  to  direct  the  operations  for  the  repair  of 
the  machinery.  The  Prince  and  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  also 


94  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

descended  into  the  engine-room,  to  see  for  themselves  what  was 
wrong.  This  time  it  was  the  soft  metal  stuffing  of  one  of  the 
pipes  which  had  melted,  and  the  water  was  going  into  the  stoke- 
holes. In  an  hour  and  a  half  the  needful  repairs  were  effected, 
and  the  Serapis  resumed  her  course.  Some  censure  was  be- 
stowed on  the  jelly-fish,  which  were  said  to  have  got  into  places 
where  they  had  no  right  to  be.  At  6.21  P.M.  there  was  a  sun- 
set of  such  miraculous  beauty  that  every  one  came  up  on  deck 
to  see  it.  The  sea  was  of  an  intense  purple,  almost  black  ;  the 
sky  on  the  horizon,  for  ten  or  twelve  degrees,  was  of  a  naming 
saffron,  softening  and  spreading  upwards  in  a  fan-shaped  radi- 
ance of  amber  and  yellow  which  melted  into  the  tenderest  and 
most  delicious  green.  Long  after  the  sun  had  set,  the  glory  of 
that  wonder  of  harmonious  color  haunted  the  western  sea. 

November  3.— It  was  a  dead  calm  all  day.  The  sea  was 
more  animated.  Flying  fish  skimmed  away  over  the  smooth 
roll  of  the  ocean,  the  repose  of  which  was  broken  now  and  then 
by  the  plunge  of  a  large  fish  in  pursuit  of  the  much-persecuted 
creatures  which,  between  the  bonitos  and  the  gulls,  have  no 
peace  either  in  sea  or  air.  The  waters  are  reported  to  be  much 
favored  of  sharks  here  ;  and  towards  noon  certainly  we  were 
gratified  by  the  sight  of  a  school  of  whales,  which  kept,  however, 
a  good  way  from  the  ship.  I  was  well  they  did,  for  rifles  were 
immediately  got  in  readiness  to  cause  them  inconvenience  if 
they  came  within  shot.  The  wondrous  drift  of  jelly-fish  con- 
tinued. Scarce  a  square  yard  of  water  without  its  indolent 
citizen.  There  below  him  were  others  in  layers  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach — hour  after  haur  for  hundreds  of  miles.  We  lowered 
buckets  over  the  side,  but  the  ship  went  through  the  water  at 
too  great  a  speed  to  permit  us  to  catch  any.  What  a  wealth  of 
life  !  What  a  subject  for  research !  At  noon  we  were  in  lat. 
14°  2'  N.,  long  51°  37'  E.,  1250  miles  from  Colaba  Light-House, 
Bombay;  the  ship  running  12  knot^.  There  was  a  solitary 
ridge,  like  a  cloud,  resting  on  the  water,  visible  on  the  port 
beam,  which  was  pronounced  to  be  Ras  Fartak,  a  wall-like  steep 
some  6  miles  long  and  1900  feet  high,  which  is  quite  inaccessible 


THE    PROGRAMME    MODIFIED.  95 

from  the  sea.  It  was  said  to  be  some  80  miles  distant  as  we 
-.teered,  and  to  be  in  a  savage  part  of  vast  unknown  Arabia, 
where  the  people  of  the  Coast  are  given,  it  is  believed,  to  sore 
ill-treat  traveller  or  luckless  mariner.  There  is  some  trade, 
especially  in  dead  sharks'-skins  and  fins,  nevertheless,  in  the 
small  maritime  towns  along  this  coast  farther  north.  This  day 
there  was  a  council  of  deliberation  held  in  the  saloon  to  consider 
the  bearings  of  the  news  received  at  Aden  as  to  the  existence  of 
cholera  in  Southern  India,  and  to  decide  upon  the  route  to  be 
taken  in  consequence  ;  and  after  full  discussion  it  was  resolved 
that  the  visit  to  Trincomalee  should  be  given  up. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  influence  on  events  which  trivial 
matters  may  exercise,  I  may  mention  how  it  came  to  pass  that 
the  Prince's  tour  in  Southern  India  was  so  modified  and  altered. 
Before  leaving  England,  one  of  the  ^uite  received  a  letter,  in- 
tended for  publication  in  a  newspaper,  from  Mr.  J.  B.  Norton, 
enclosing  a  communication  from  an  officer  of  Engineers,  which 
pointed  out  the  grave  dangers  which  would  attend  a  visit  to  the 
districts  at  the  time  of  year  indicated  in  one  of  the  programmes 
to  it.  As  it  was  considered  inexpedient  to  create  alarm  in  the 
public  mind,  the  letter  was  put  aside.  One  day  it  met  the  eye 
of  the  gentleman  for  whom  it  was  intended,  who  communicated 
the  contents  to  Dr.  Fayrer  ;  and  he  considered  it  of  sufficient 
consequence  to  be  made  known  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere.  A  telegram 
was  despatched  from  Egypt  to  the  authorities  at  Bombay,  to  make 
inquiry  into  the  truth  of  the  statements  as  to  the  clanger  of  visit- 
ing the  districts  in  question.  When  the  Prince  arrived  at  Aden, 
the  answer  to  these  inquiries  came  back  by  telegraph,  to  the  ef* 
feet  that  although  the  risk  of  fever  appeared  to  be  exaggerated, 
there  could  be  no  doubt  that  the  neighborhood  was  at  that  mo- 
ment unhealthy,  as  cholera  appeared  to  be  spreading  among  the 
villages  surrounding  the  hills  where  the  Prince's  sporting  camp 
would  have  been  pitched.  It  became  necessary  to  modify  the 
programme,  and  to  suspend  any  decision  respecting  that  part  of 
it  until  further  information  could  be  procured  after  our  arrival  at 
Bombay. 


96  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

At  3.40  P.M.  there  was  a  stoppage  of  the  engine  once  more. 
This  time  it  was  the  cover  of  the  bilge-pump  of  the  main  engine 
which  had  become  disorganized.  The  bilges  had  been  pumped 
out,  and  a  good  deal  of  work  had  been  done  in  the  engine-room 
to-day,  so  that  when  the  accident  occurred  it  was  not  considered 
of  any  consequence,  as  it  was  known  that  everything  was  in  good 
order.  In  half  an  hour  or  so  the  vessel  went  on  at  increased 
speed  to  make  up  for  lost  time.  At  6.20  P.  M.  the  Osbortie  sig- 
nalled that  she  could  not  keep  up  at  the  rate  of  12%  knots,  and 
our  speed  was  reduced  i  knot  an  hour  accordingly. 

November  4. — The  ship's  company  exercised  at  small  arms, 
and  were  inspected  by  the  Prince.  At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  15° 
14'  N.,  long.  56°  23'  E.  ;  964  miles  from  Colaba  Point;  sea  like 
glass.  There  was  a  concert  in  the  theatre  on  deck  after  dinner ; 
but  the  comfort  of  the  audience  was  interfered  with,  and  their 
enjoyment  of  the  entertainment  diminished,  by  showers  of  smuts 
and  clinkers  from  the  funnel,  which  were  driven  aft  by  the  head- 
wind. Some  amateurs  who  appeared  for  the  first  time  were 
stricken,  dumb  from  stage  fright ;  their  voices  died  in  their 
throats.  The  bandsmen  sang  some  part  songs  and  glees  very  ex- 
cellently well.  Alister,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland's  piper,  in  all  his 
bravery,  made  a  promenade  round  and  round,  with  his  pipes 
playing  gayly  ;  but  he  rather  fretted  on  the  narrow  stage,  for  your 
piper  is  nothing  if  he  cannot  strut  up  and  down  with  martial 
swagger,  swelling  like  a  pouter  pigeon.  The  leading  comedian 
tried  a  little  tragic  part, — a  reformed  pickpocket  d  la  "  It's  Never 
Too  Late  To  Mend,'' — and  the  gods  roared  with  laughter  at 
his  great  discomfiture. 

November  5. — The  continuous  steaming  for  five  weeks  is 
rather  too  much  for  the  engines,  and  repairs  and  a  thorough 
overhaul  are  much  needed,  and  will  be  executed  at  Bombay.  At 
noon  we  were  654  miles  w.  of  Colaba  Light-House  (lat.  16°  18' 
N.,  long.  60°  55'  E.).  There  was  a  disturbance  among  the  Arabs 
shipped  at  Suez  as  stokers  respecting  the  choice  of  sleeping- 
places,  the  top  of  the  sheep-pens  being  much  coveted  for  that 
purpose.  After  dinner  the  Prince  went  on  deck,  where  the  crew 


GUY    FAWKES    AT    SEA.  97 

had  prepared  a  very  elaborate  Guy  Fawkes,  with  a  long  wig  and 
bands,  villanous  countenance,  lantern,  &c.,  complete,  which  was 
brought  aft  to  the  sound  of  fog-horns,  tin-kettles,  and  all  kinds 
of  abominable  noise.  To  this  the  Arabs,  who  perceived  there 
was  a  tomasha  going  on,  thought  they  would  add  an  entertain- 
ment of  their  own.  They  accordingly  crowded  up  on  the  upper- 
deck,  with  false  beards,  colored  faces,  &c.,  and  were  quite  en- 
joying  themselves  in  their  own  fashion,  when  it  was  perceived 
that  they  were  very  rudely  interrupting  the  legitimate  drama, 
whereupon  they  were  sent  back  whence  they  came,  and  even  fur- 
ther, and  had  good  reasons  afterwards  to  repent  their  intrusion. 
When  the  Arabs  had  been  removed,  one  of  the  crew  read  an  in- 
dictment against  Guy  Fawkes,  and  pronounced  sentence  upon 
him,  which  ended  with  the  committal  of  his  body  to  the  deep. 
A  floating  stage  was  ready  at  the  side,  Guy  Fawkes  was  placed 
upon  it,  and  when  the  port  fire  was  lighted  the  stage  was  let  go 
and  dropped  into  the  sea.  To  the  great  disappointment  of  the 
contrivers  and  the  spectators,  the  stage  capsized,  and  Guy 
Fawkes  was  whirled  astern  on  his  side  ;  but  it  was  fondly  believed 
that  the  fire  would  not  be  extinguished,  and  that  the  rockets, 
maroons,  and  other  explosives  with  which  he  was  charged  would 
go  off  after  a  time.  Eyes  were  strained  to  catch  the  first  fizz  in 
the  distance  ;  but,  to  the  grief  of  every  one  but  the  captain,  who 
"didn't  see  the  fun  "  of  having  these  fireworks  blazing  under  his 
counter,  Guy  Fawkes  never  righted  himself,  and  was  lost  in  the 
darkness.  It  would  be  curious  to  learn  what  became  of  him. 
The  thing  would  float  about  for  weeks,  and  might  cause  many  a 
false  alarm  and  strange  surprise  at  sea. 

November  6. — A  wind  from  north-east  fresh  enough  to  mark 
"3  "  in  the  log,  and  to  make  one  look  out  through  the  open  port 
now  and  then  to  see  if  a  wave  was  likely  to  come  inboard, 
heralded  by  a  crest  of  foam  ;  but,  though  it  often  threatened,  the 
breeze  was  not  strong  enough  to  summon  the  dreaded  men  who 
come  round  the  cabins  to  secure  the  dead-eyes.  The  sea  was 
still  full  of  jelly-fish,  apparently  drifting  about  in  a  helpless  way, 
but  bent  doubtless  on  important  business.  For  all  their  flabby 
5  7 


98  THE    PRINCE   OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

purposelessness,  these  creatures  can  vex  steam-engines  and  men, 
for  they  are  sucked  into  the  pipes,  and  are  solid  enough  to  clog 
them.  It  was  resolved  to  send  the  Osborne  in  advance  to  Bom- 
bay with  letters,  and  at  noon  she  ran  up  very  close,  and  in  reply 
to  the  Prince's  hail,  Commander  Durrant  said  he  hoped  to  get 
in  by  10  o'clock  on  Sunday  night.  A  boat  was  sent  off  to  her 
with  despatches  at  noon,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  Osborne  was 
steaming  away  fourteen  knots  an  hour,  and  showing  the  road  to 
Colaba  Light-House,  leaving  her  escort  to  do  as  well  as  she 
could  without  her.  The  observations  at  noon  gave  lat.  17°  23' 
N.,  long.  65°  35  E.  ;  distance  run,  264  miles  ;  and  distance  to 
Colaba  Light-House,  420  miles.  The  thermometer  stuck  to  its 
point,  8o°-8i°,  with  tenacity,  night  and  day,  but  we  are  becom- 
ing used  to  it.  The  Prince's  horses  stand  the  temperature  very 
well,  and  seem  none  the  worse  for  it  when  they  are  taken  out 
for  their  morning's  walk  up  and  down  the  deck.  Commander 
Bedford  has  been  introducing  some  sanitary  improvements 
among  the  Arab  stokers,  the  importance  of  which  has  been  for- 
cibly impressed  on  them,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  their  manners 
will  also  partake  of  the  benefits  of  these  disciplinary  reforms. 
The  excellent  author  of  the  "  Sailor's  Pocket-Book  "  would  be  an 
admirable  aedile  on  shore. 

November  7. — An  easterly  breeze,  blowing  just  strong  enough 
to  give  a  good  draught  to  the  furnaces.  Divine  service  on  deck 
to-day.  The  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth  read  the  lessons  and 
preached  a  short  sermon.  He  was  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
York,  chaplain  to  the  Serapis,  who  composed  a  simple  hymn  for 
the  voyage,  which  was  sung  with  fine  effect  by  the  trained  men, 
officers  and  crew.  As  many  of  the  crew  as  could  be  accommo- 
dated on  the  main-deck,  the  Royal  Marines,  and  the  officers,  &c., 
were  present,  and  joined  in  the  hymns  and  responses.  All  wore 
snowy  caps,  jackets,  and  trousers,  and  the  bronzed  and  bearded 
faces  afforded  the  only  relief  to  the  mass  of  white  which  filled 
the  quarter-deck  under  the  awning.  Rarely  has  a  more  clean- 
looking,  picturesque,  or  attentive  congregation  been  anywhere 
assembled.  The  Prince,  attended  by  the  military  members  of 


APPROACHING    INDIA.  99 

the  suite  (blue  frock-coats  and  white  trousers,  swords  and  spurs), 
inspected  the  Marines  and  Artillery  detachment  (R.M.A.)  on 
the  main-deck,  and  was  much  pleased  with  their  appearance. 
His  Royal  Highness  also  went  round  main-deck  cabins,  some 
of  which  have  been  by  this  time  worked  up  to  a  high  degree  of 
beauty,  especially  that  of  my  neighbor,  Lord  Charles  Beresford, 
for  the  adornment  of  which  Tom  Fat  has  indented  on  the  re- 
sources of  the  ship  in  the  way  of  brass-headed  nails  to  an  uncon- 
scionable extent.  The  thermometer  hovered  about  80°,  and 
now  and  then  ran  up  to  82°.  At  noon  the  result  of  the  obser- 
vations, which  were  laid  as  usual  by  Staff-Commander  Goldsmith 
on  the  saloon  table  as  soon  as  they  were  worked  out,  gave  our 
position  as  165  -miles  from  Colaba  Light-House,  which  means 
that  we  shall  see  "India"  early  to-morrow  morning,  and  make 
the  landfall  somewhere  about  Bombay — our  inheritance  from 
Catherine  of  Braganza,  in  virtue  of  her  Portuguese  dowry.  It  is 
wonderful,  when  the  comparative  ignorance  and  helplessness  of 
those  ancient  mariners  are  taken  into  account,  to  think  how  bold- 
ly they  sailed  those  seas,  and  ventured  on  "the  great  void,"  so 
full  (void  as  it  was)  of  the  terrors  which  must  have  beset  them 
of  the  unknown.  The  knowledge  of  what  had  been  done  before 
them  was  lost.  They  were  not  encouraged  by  an  acquaintance 
with  the  records  of  Egyptian  exploration,  or  of  later  Greek  en- 
terprise. M.  Mariette  asserts  that  it  is  beyond  gainsaying  that 
the  Egyptians  not  only  traded  from  the  R'ed  Sea  with  India,  but 
that  they  sailed  down  the  coast  of  Africa,  doubled  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  and,  turning  northwards,  reached  the  Straits  of  Gib- 
ralter,  and  so  arrived  at  last  at  Alexandria,  or  the  port  which  was 
at  the  spot  where  that  ancient  city  now  stands.  As  Archbishop 
Whately  said  when  he  was  shown  the  slate  on  which  St.  Kevin 
crossed  from  Wales  to  Ireland,  and  was  asked  "  if  he  doubted 
the  fact  ?  "  "  I  cannot  say  that  I  do,  but  I  think  if  he  did  it  St. 
Kevin  was  a  very  lucky  fellow."  With  all  our  modern  science 
and  measured  mileage  of  the  sea,  there  was  some  little  anxiety 
among  our  officers  in  the  small  hours  about  sighting  Colaba 
Light-House.  "  You  see,  Sir,"  said  an  astute  navigator,  on 


IOO  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

whom  the  exploits  of  the  ancients  were  being  thrust,  "  they  did 
not  know  their  dangers,  and  they  were  bold  accordingly ;  they 
made  no  allowances  for  deviation  of  compass  or  set  of  tides  and 
currents,  for  they  were  ignorant  of  them  ;  and  so  they  were  as 
jolly  as  sand-boys.  They  had  no  Lloyds  and  no  Boards  of  In- 
quiry ;  no  courts-martial ;  and  if  they  went  down,  there  were  no 
newspapers  to  make  a  howl  over  them."  Practical  commentaries 
these  on  the  advantages  of  the  dark  ages !  But  regarding  the 
arrival  at  Bombay  in  the  light  of  a  certainty,  it  must  be  said  that 
there  was  one  perpetual  prophecy  as  to  the  Prince's  progress 
which  was  never  falsified.  Programmes,  indeed,  were  subjected 
to  change,  but  when  the  telegraph  announced  that  the  Royal 
fleet,  or  train,  or  cavalcade,  would  arrive  at  such  a  place  on  such 
a  day,  the  fulfilment  of  it  was  pretty  certain.  Thus  there  were 
many  advantages  gained,  and  much  ease  and  contentment  given 
to  those  who  were  to  receive  and  to  see  the  illustrious  visitor. 
So  it  was,  too,  that  words  which  were  not  to  be  spoken  or  heard 
for  many  clays  were  read  and  answers  prepared  beforehand,  so  that 
when  the  P  ince  arrived  at  any  point  where  he  was  to  be  greeted 
with  a  thoughtful  and  elaborate  address  of  welcome,  he  was  not 
obliged  to  deliver  a  hasty  and  inconsiderate  acknowledgment. 
Before  the  Serapis  left  Aden  it  was  known  what  the  Corporation 
of  Bombay  would  say  to  the  Prince,  and  similar  foreknowledge 
was  obtained,  where  an  impromptu  reply  would,  in  many  instances, 
have  been  hazardous. 

The  work  of  getting  ready  for  landing  has  been  going  on  since 
Friday,  and  the  holds  of  the  Serapis  are  yielding  up  mountains  of 
cases.  The  Prince's  presents  alone  form  portentous  piles  between 
decks  ;  and  as  to  gun  cases,  boxes  of  ammunition,  portmanteaux, 
boxes  of  wood  and  of  metal,  and  all  the  farrago  of  a  grand  shikar 
party,  the  eye  that  did  not  see  the  stratified  masses  round  which 
valets  and  mariners  and  Chinamen  hovered,  and  on  which  they 
climbed  for  hours,  can  never  hope  to  behold  the  like  unless  the 
Prince  goes  to  India  again. 

It  may  readily  be  imagined  that  the  near  approach  to  India 
causes  reflection,  and  fills  men's  minds  with  various  emotion. 


APPROACHING   INDIA.  IOI 

Sir  Bartle  Frere  is  about  to  revisit  the  scene  of  the  labors  and 
services  of  his  life,  and  to  see  in  the  city,  which  is  yearning  to 
receive  him,  the  substantial  proofs  of  his  beneficent  administra- 
tion. Major-General  Probyn  is  returning  to  the  country  in  which 
he  won  his  spurs ;  but  hejs  charged  with  a  load  of  care  which 
he  would  gladly  change  for  the  conduct  of  a  charge  at  the  head 
of  his  troopers  ;  because  trustful  as  he  is  in  the  divinity  that  will 
hedge  the  Prince,  he  knows  what  dangers  are  ever  lurking  in 
that  cruel  thing  called  "  a  crowd,"  and  he  has  had  much  to  do 
with  this  expedition.  Dr.  Fay  re  r  is  also  about  to  place  his  foot 
on  the  shore  of  a  land  where  he  has  worked  hard  for  many  years 
of  his  useful  career,  and  wielded  sword  and  lancet  with  equal 
assiduity  and  honor,  but  on  his  strong  shoulders  there  rests  a 
moral  burden  and  responsibility  which  he  of  all  men  least  de- 
preciates. Lord  Charles  Beresford  is  familiar  with  the  wild  sports 
of  the  East,  and  is  joyous  at  the  thought  of  fresh  encounters 
with  pugnacious  "  pig  "  and  ferocious  tigers,  but  still  more  elate 
at  the  thought  of  the  pleasure  it  will  afford  the  Prince  to  "get  his 
first  spear,"  and  to  have  a  warm  corner  in  the  jungle.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Arthur  Ellis  has  served  in  India,  and  he  looks  just  now 
as  though  he  were  oppressed  by  awful  visions  of  masses  of  Ma- 
harajas and  Nawabs,  and  rows  of  Rajas  waiting  on  shore,  hold- 
ing out  their  hands  filled  with  diamonds,  pearls,  rubies,  emeralds, 
&c.,  of  fabulous  value,  surrounded  by  piles  of  Kinkob,  shawls, 
brocade,  and  all  the  wealth  of  Ind,  ready  to  precipitate  themselves 
on  the  Prince,  to  each  of  whom  must  be  given  some  adequate 
return.  When  the  list  of  these  Potentates  was  received  the 
other  day,  and  the  account  of  the  presents  they  intended  to  make 
was  read,  there  was  a  moment's  deep  despondency  and  a  dec- 
laration of  bankruptcy  by  anticipation  was  imminent.  The  other 
members  of  the  suite,  with  the  exception  of  Lieutenant  Fitz- 
George,  had  all  the  pleasures  of  novelty  to  which  to  look  forward 
— new  scenes,  new  life,  new  sport,  new  pursuits.  For  the  Duke 
of  Sutherland,  who  had  been  diligently  "  reading  up  India  "  dur- 
ing the  voyage,  there  was  a  store  of  investigation  of  natural  re- 
sources, studies  of  agricultural  improvements,  irrigation,  mining, 


IO2 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 


the  state  of  princes  and  people  ;  for  Lord  Alfred  Paget  there  was 
the  acquaintance  to  be  made  with  the  manners  and  customs  of 
Native  Courts,  and  the  gratifying  exercise  of  an  active  intelligence 
in  observing  the  habits  of  an  Anglo-Indian  life,  and  in  seizing 
the  distinctive  points  which  make  the  Anglo-Indian  something 
not  quite  the  same  as  an  Englishman  or  Englishwoman  in  India. 
For  Lord  Suffield  there  was  the  pleasant  combination  of  the 
duties  of  a  high  officer  of  state  about  the  person  of  the  Prince, 
and  of  the  pleasures  of  a  keen  sportsman — good  with  rifle  and 


THE  PRINCE   SHOOTING   BIRDS  ON   BOARD 


ANTICIPATIONS.  "~X  IC»3 

gun,  and  firm  in  the  saddle — in  a- new  field  ;  and  to  similar  ob- 
ligations, and  to  the  anticipation' of  similar  enjoyment  in  the 
chase  Lord  Aylesford  and  Lord  Carington  had  superadded  a 
task  imposed  by  their  personal  attachment,  which  happily  had  no 
need  for  its  exercise.  Mr.  Knollys  had  the  certain  solace  of 
having  plenty  of  work  to  do,  and  so  in  degree  each  of  the  voy- 
agers had  something  to  think  of — some  a  great  deal.  But  ihe 
centre  of  all, — the  Prince, — what  of  him  ?  The  country  he  had 
left  was  still  straining  its  gaze  in  the  track  of  the  ship  that  bore 
him,  still  listening  with  all  its  ears  for  the  reports  of  his  progress, 
there  was  no  empire  or  kingdom  in  Europe  which  did  not  take 
note  of  his  journey.  There  were  hundreds  of  millions  of  human 
beings  waiting  to  feast  their  eyes  upon  him — the  whole  state  of 
Hindostan  from  the  Viceroy  to  the  humblest  Sepoy  were  in  ex- 
pectancy of  his  coming.  Well.  There  was  the  Prince  of  Wales 
writing  at  one  of  the  tables  in  the  saloon,  with  a  pleasant  smile 
on  his  face, — now  and  then  stooping  to  caress  "  Flossy,"  or  to 
address  a  word  to  those  near  him, — perfectly  calm  and  composed, 
the  traces  of  the  once  natural  sadness  caused  by  his  parting 
nearly  all  effaced, — for  at  every  port  telegrams  come  and  go, — 
"all  is  well"  at  Snndringham  and  at  home, — and  he  is  looking 
forward  with  resolute  dignity  to  the  ordeal  which  he  is  told  he 
must  undergo,  and  to  the  opening  of  the  drama  in  which  he  is 
not  merely  the  principal  but  the  only  figure 


THE   BHESTIE,    BOMBAY. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

BOMBAY. 

First  Sight  of  India — Bombay  harbor — The  Viceroy  and  the  Governor  of 
Bombay — The  Landing — The  Prince  and  the  Chiefs — The  Bombay  ad- 
dress and  Reply  of  The  Prince— The  Procession — Bombay  Streets— The 
burra  khana — First  Morning  in  I'ndia— First  Reception—"  Private  Visits  " 
— Maharajas  of  Kolhapoor  and  Mysore — Maharana  of  Oodeypoor — Rao 
of  Cutch — The  Gaekwar  of  Baroda — Sir  Madhava  Rao — Sir  Salar  Jung 
— Rajpoots  and  others — Rewa  Kanta  Chiefs — The  Hubshee — Birthday 
Rejoicings  —  Unpleasant  News — The  Thakoors — The  Levee — Return 
Visits — Byculla  Club  Ball — Bombay  Jugglers — Box-wallahs — Caves  of 
Elephanta — The  Banquet. 


NOVEMBER  8. — The  Colaba  Light-House  was  not  sighted  as 
early  as  was  anticipated,  but  the  reflection  of  the  light  on  the 
water  could  be  made  out  about  1.30  A.M.  The  ship,  being  then 
only  some  25  miles  distant  from  land,  was  eased,  and  at  4  A.M.  the 
engines  were  almost  stopped,  just  going  fast  enough  to  keep  the 
Serapis  in  her  place  till  it  was  time  to  make  the  run  into  the 
harbor  of  Bombay.  The  morning  was  very  bright  and  beautiful. 


"  SERAPIS  "    ENTERS   BOMBAY.  10$ 

A  glorious  sunrise  promised  one  of  those  fine  days  which  are 
somewhat  too  common  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  the  ther- 
mometer marked  80°  with  a  persistency  which  led  the  observer 
to  think  that  the  instrument  must  have  received  a  permanent  in- 
jury. Soon  after  6  A.M.  the  highlands  over  Salsette,  and  the 
Ghauts  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  city,  were  plainly  visible  from 
the  ports  ;  the  peaks  of  Elephanta  and  the  Mahratta  Queen 
could  be  made  out  some  time  before  the  masts  of  the  men-of-war 
in  the  bay  could  be  seen.  The  Prince  came  up  and  stood  on  the 
bridge,  while  Captain  Searle,  the  Master-Attendant,  who  had 
boarded  the  Serapis  outside,  explained  the  principal  points  of 
interest  in  the  fair  landscape.  At  8  A.M.  the  ships  of  the  East 
India  Squadron,  under  his  Excellency  Rear-Admiral  R.  J.  Mac- 
donald  (Commander-in-Chief),  viz.,  Undaunted  (flag),  Briton, 
Daphne,  Philomel  and  Nimble,  as  well  as  the  harbor  iron-clad  tur- 
ret-ships Abyssinia  and  Magdala,  and  the  ships  of  the  Flying  or 
Detached  Squadron,  under  Rear- Admiral  Rowley  Lambert,  Nar- 
cissus (flag),  Raleigh,  Topaze,  Doris,  and  Newcastle,  dressed,  and 
fired  a  salute  with  magnificent  effect,  though  the  Serapis  was 
rather  too  far  at  the  time.  They  lay  in  echelon  in  two  lines,  the 
Indian  Squadron  on  the  port,  and  the  Detached  Squadron  on  the 
starboard,  side  of  the  grand  sea-alley  through  which  the  Serapis 
was  to  pass.  Behind  the  Light-House,  which  rises  out  of  the  sea 
like  one  of  the  huge  painted  candles  to  be  seen  in  foreign  church- 
es, there  lay  spread  out,  when  the  smoke  rolled  away,  the  fair 
panorama  of  the  Bay,  fenced  in  by  the  blue  Ghauts,  with  the 
fleet  in  front,  and  enclosing  in  its  arms  the  great  expanse  of 
buildings,  steeples  and  houses,  which  gives  some  impression  of 
the  importance  of  the  city  of  Bombay  ;  but  the  scene  was  once 
more  shut  out  by  the  rolling  cloud  of  smoke  from  the  broadsides 
and  forts,  which  drifted  slowly  away  before  the  land  breeze 
northward.  It  was  just  9  o'clock  when  the  Serapis,  the  Prince's 
stately  yacht,  entered  between  the  lines  of  the  men  of-war,  the 
marines  drawn  up  and  presenting  arms,  officers  in  full  uniform  with 
uncovered  heads,  and  the  crews  on  the  yards  cheering,  ship  after 
ship.  The  fleet  then  fired  another  salute,  the  bands  on  board 
5* 


IO6  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

each  ship  playing  "God  save  the  Queen  "  and  "God  bless  the 
Prince  of  Wales."  The  spectacle  is  not  one  to  be  described. 
There  might  be  naval  displays  with  more  lively  backgrounds, 
greater  life  and  animation  in  flying  yachts  and  countless  boats 
and  steamers,  crowded  with  people  and  gay  with  flags,  elsewhere, 
but  where  out  of  India  could  be  seen  such  .  a  stretch  of  coast 
fringed  with  tropical  vegetation  and  lighted  by  such  a  sun  ? 

All  the  arrangements  for  the  reception  of  the  Prince  had 
been  so  thoroughly  worked  out  before  the  arrival  and  landing 
that  there  was  scarcely  anything  that  could  happen  which  had 
not  been  provided  for.  The  order  of  the  procession,  the  visits 
of  the  Viceroy  and  of  the  Governor,  the  forms  to  be  observed, 
had  all  been  arranged.  When  the  Serapis  came  to  her  moor- 
ings, many  boats  came  off  with  the  members  of  the  Staff  of 
the  Viceroy  and  of  the  Governor,  which  are,  I  believe,  called 
in  India,  Deputations,  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  illustrious 
guest. 

There  had  been  some  little  trouble  between  the  authorities 
by  sea  and  land.  A  Commander-in-Chief  on  the  East  Indian 
Station  and  an  Excellency  afloat  in  harbor  was  something  new 
at  Bombay,  and  the  Governor  and  Council  had  assigned  Rear- 
Admiral  Macdonald  a  place  in  the  order  of  dignitaries  on  the 
opening  day,  wh  i  h  he  would  not  accept,  feeling  that  he  repre- 
sented in  his  person  and  office  the  honor  of  the  service.  To 
show  how  far  below  the  Prince  of  Wales  the  greatest  was,  the 
Commander-in-Chief  declared  he  could  not  salute  Viceroy  or 
Governor  once  the  Royal  Standard  was  flying  in  harbor ;  but  all 
these  clouds  were  happily  dispersed  in  the  end,  and  the  Admiral's 
rights  and  office  were  recognized,  and  Viceroy  and  Governor  had 
their  salutes  in  due  course. 

Six  hours  elapsed  between  the  arrival  of  the  Serapis  in  har- 
bor and  the  reception  of  the  Viceroy  on  board,  but  there  was 
plenty  to  be  done  and  to  be  seen  meantime — constant  arrivals 
of  persons  of  greater  or  less  importance,  visitors,  persons  on 
business,  Sir  Bartle  Frere  being  especially  in  request.  The  offi- 
cers to  whom  the  Prince  and  the  Royal  party  were  so  deeply  in- 


PREPARING   TO    LAND.  IO7 

debted  for  their  comfort  and  well-being  came  on  board  and  were 
introduced  to  his  Royal  Highness.  They  were  Major-General 
Sam  Browne,  V.  C.,  Major  Ben.  Williams,  Major  Bradford,  and 
Major  Sartorius,  V.  C.  The  first-named  officer  was  charged 
with  all  the  transport  arrangements,  trains,  carriages,  baggage, 
and  the  like.  The  second  was  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the 
st  Lid-horses,  syces,  &c.  The  third  had,  perhaps,  the  most  diffi- 
cult and  arduous  post,  for  he  had  to  look  after  the  safety  of  the 
Prince's  person,  and  to  act  as  the  head  of  the  police.  The  fourth 
had  the  control  of  the  tents  and  valetaille  and  service  of  the 
Royal  camps.  Among  these  four  officers  there  were  two  Vic- 
toria Crosses  and  only  six  arms,  for  "  Sam  "  Browne  had  lost 
one  of  his  in  an  action  near  the  Rohilcund  Terai  near  the  end 
of  the  Mutiny,  and  Major  Bradford  had  to  suffer  the  loss  of  one 
by  amputation,  in  consequence  of  injuries  received  from  a  wound- 
ed tiger.  There  are  few  men  whose  four  hands  could  do  as 
much  work  as  these  gallant  soldiers  managed  with  only  two. 
Major  Henderson,  who  has  been  specially  attached  to  the  Prince 
because  of  his  great  attainments  as  a  linguist  and  of  his  acquaint- 
ance with  Oriental  etiquette  and  knowledge  of  Native  Courts, 
was  also  admitted  to  an  audience.  There  was  need  to  land  and 
despatch  the  baggage  in  advance,  excellently  managed  by  the  ex- 
perienced servants  entrusted  with  it.  The  ship  between  decks 
presented  quite  as  bustling  and  lively  an  appearance  as  the  har- 
bor outside,  where  native  boats  of  novel  shape  and  rig,  laden  to 
the  water's  edge,  and  steam-launches  and  men-of-war's-men  fur- 
rowed the  water  between  the  lines  of  shipping.  The  Serapis, 
gazed  at  eagerly  by  tens  of  thousands,  whom  we  could  see  on 
shore,  and  by  the  multitudes  on  board  the  vessels  moored  in  the 
stately  bay,  was  the  centre  of  all  eyes.  The  two  Rear-Admirals, 
Macdonald  and  R.  Lambert,  and  senior  officers  of  the  fleet  were 
received  at  10  A.M.,  soon  after  the  vessel  anchored.  There  was 
lunch  to  which  several  of  the  visitors  were  invited  at  the  usual 
hour.  It  was  now  nearly  3  o'clock,  and  those  in  attendance  on 
the  Prince  were  told  off  to  their  places,  for  Lord  Northbrook, 
Viceroy  and  Governor-General,  was  about  to  make  his  appear- 


IO8  THE   PRINCE   OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

ance  on  board.  Shortly  before  that  hour  a  salute  from  a  battery 
on  shore,  immediately  taken  up  by  the  ships  of  both  the  squad- 
rons and  by  the  floating  batteries,  announced  that  his  Excellency 
had  embarked  at  the  Dockyard ;  and  presently  a  barge  with  the 
Viceroy's  standard  was  seen  approaching,  and,  punctual  to  the 
moment,  the  Governor-General  stepped  on  board,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  all  the  honors  due  to  his  official  rank.  Lord  North- 
brook  was  attended  by  Mr.  Aitchison,  Secretary  of  the  Foreign 
Department,  by  several  members  of  his  personal  staff,  the  Mili- 
tary Secretary,  Colonel  Earle,  his  private  secretary,  Captain 
Baring,  &c.  He  was  conducted  by  Lord  Suffield  between  lines 
of  the  Prince's  aides-de-camp  and  suite  along  the  corridor  of  the 
main-deck,  which  was  covered  with  scarlet  cloth,  to  the  compan- 
ion leading  to  the  saloon,  at  the  top  of  which  stood  his  Royal 
Highness. 

There  had  been  some  sort  of  notion  abroad  that  the  meeting 
of  the  Prince  and  the  Viceroy  would  be  attended  with  difficulties 
affecting  their  relative  position  and  precedence— not  in  rank, 
because  of  that  there  could  be  no  question — but  in  state  cere- 
monial before  the  world ;  but  it  was  at  once  evident  that  such 
anticipations  were  unfounded,  and  that  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
Lord  Northbrook  perfectly  understood  what  was  due  to  them- 
selves and  to  each  other  ;  nor  was  there,  I  believe,  as  far  as  they 
were  concerned,  the  smallest  interruption  to  the  perfect  entente 
established  at  the  very  commencement  of  their  intercourse,  al- 
though an  inadvertent  interference  of  one  of  the  Viceregal  Staff 
at  one  time  caused  temporary  annoyance. 

The  Prince,  having  presented  the  members  of  his  suite  to  the 
Viceroy,  who  in  turn  presented  his  Staff  to  his  Royal  Highness, 
retired  to  a  Sofa  with  him,  and  engaged  in  conversation  for 
some  time.  Presently  it  was  perceived  from  the  commotion  at 
the  landing-place  in  the  Dockyard  that  the  Governor  was  about 
to  embark.  At  3.25  P.M.  the  saluting  battery  commenced  again, 
and  Sir  Philip  Woclehouse  was  seen  coming  off  to  the  ship.  He 
was  attended  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Presidency, 
Lieutenant-General  Sir  Charles  Staveley,  the  members  of  Council, 


THE   LANDING   AT   BOMBAY. 

among  whom  were  two  Parsee  gentlemen,  Mr.  Wodehouse,  his 
private  secretary,  and  his  aide-Se-camp.  He  was  received  by 
the  Prince  with  much  kindness.  The  usual  presentations  were 
made.  In  half  an  hour  his  Excellency  took  leave,  and  returned 
to  the  Dockyard  to  join  those  who  were  waiting  for  the  landing 
of  the  Prince. 

When  it  was  time  for  his  royal  Highness  to  set  his  foot  on 
the  shores  of  India,  on  which  we  had  been  gazing  all  day,  there 
was  some  curiosity  to  observe  in  what  order  the  Prince  and 
Viceroy  would  take  their  seats,  but  according  to  marine  views, 
whether  by  accident  or  not,  Lord  Northbrook  unquestionably 
gave  precedence  to  his  guest,  for  he  stepped  on  board  the 
launch  first,  and  remained  standing  until  the  Prince  had  descend- 
ed the  companion  and  had  taken  his  place  beside  him  in  the 
stern  of  the  boat.  Once  more  the  cannon  spoke,  the  crews  aloft 
cheered,  bands  played,  marines  and  guards  of  honor  on  deck 
presented  arms,  officers  saluted  as  the  Royal  Standard  passed 
each  man-of-war,  and  from  all  the  shipping  uprose  a  mighty 
shout.  The  Prince's  barge  was  preceded  by  boats  bearing  the 
members  of  the  suite,  who  had  to  land  before  him.  Looking 
back  from  one  of  these,  a  noble  pageant,  lighted  up  by  a  declin- 
ing sun,  met  the  eye — the  hulls  of  the  fleet,  bright  streamers  and 
banners,  long  rows  of  flags  from  yard  to  yard  and  mast  to  mast, 
white  boats,  a  flotilla  of  steam-launches,  gigs,  pinnaces,  and  a 
crowd  of  onlookers  hastening  fast  as  oar  could  send  them  in 
wake  of  the  Royal  barge  to  the  Dockyard. 

The  flotilla  sped  on  shorewards.  A  vast  triumphal  arch, 
spanning  the  water-way  between  two  piers,  but  gay  with  banners, 
branches  and  leaves,  and  with  decorations  of  palm  and  cocoa-nut, 
appeared  in  front  of  us.  It  could  not  be  imagined  that  this  dock- 
yard stair  in  its  normal  state  was  one  of  the  most  commonplace 
and  ugly  of  landings.  But  it  had  now  not  only  been  decked 
out  with  all  the  resources  of  art,  which  in  this  land  are  various 
and  fantastic,  but  there  was  assembled  beneath  its  great  span 
perhaps  the  most  strange  and  picturesque  assemblage  ever  seen 
of  late  days  in  any  part  of  the  world.  On  each  side  of  the  way, 


IIO  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

under  the  vaulted  roof,  were  long  lines  of  benches  rising  in  tiers, 
draped  with  scarlet  cloth.  This  material  was  also  laid  down 
on  the  avenue  to  the  gate,  a  hundred  yards  away,  where  the 
carriages  were  waiting.  In  the  front  rows  sat  or  stood,  in  eager 
expectance,  Chiefs,  Sirdars  and  native  gentlemen  of  the  Presi- 
dency, multitudes  of  Parsees,  rows  of  Hindoos,  Mahrattas,  and 
Mohammedans  dressed  in  their  best, — which  was  oftenest  their 
simplest, — a  crowd  glittering  with  gems  and  presenting,  as  they 
swayed  to  and  fro  to  catch  sight  of  the  Prince,  the  appearance 
of  bright  enamel,  or  of  a  bed  of  gay  flowers  agitated  by  a  gentle 
breeze — the  officers  of  the  Government,  the-  Corporation  with  its 
address,  the  Municipal  body  of  Bombay,  and  the  naval  and  mil- 
itary officers  who  could  be  spared,  representatives  of  the  facul- 
ties, corporate  bodies,  dignitaries,  and  all  the  ladies  who  could 
be  found  within  the  radius  of  some  hundreds  of  miles,  and  who 
had  hastened  to  greet  the  Prince  with  their  best  smiles  and  bon- 
nets. An  abundance  of  sweet-smelling  flowers,  many  of  rarity, 
was  displayed  in  pots  along  the  avenue,  and  others  commingled 
with  shrubs  of  new  forms  were  arranged  in  masses  near  the  en- 
trance— banners  hung  from  the  roof, — words  of  "  Welcome,"  in 
various  characters  were  inscribed  in  gold  over  the  entrance.  I 
shall  say  nothing  of  the  appearance  of  the  Chiefs  just  now,  inas- 
much as  there  will  be  plenty  to  write  of  them  hereafter. 

The  mode  in  which  the  Prince  was  to  make  his  first  appear- 
ance before  the  Queen's  subjects  in  India  had  been  the  subject 
of  some  consideration  and  discussion.  Oriental  ideas  of  dignity 
and  grandeur,  which  insensibly  acquire  influence  over  the  minds 
of  Europeans  after  a  residence  in  the  country,  suggested  that 
splendidly  caparisoned  elephants  would  form  the  most  fitting 
mode  of  carriage  for  the  Prince,  the  Viceroy,  the  high  officials 
and  their  suites  in  his  Royal  Highness'  procession  through  the 
city  to  the  Government  House  at  Parell.  The  animals  were  all 
ready,  but  it  was  resolved  not  to  adopt  the  Indian  custom.  As 
alternatives,  there  were  carriages,  or  a  cavalcade.  The  latter 
would  have  been  the  most  effective  manner  of  entry.  It  would, 
as  we  now  know,  have  given  the  people  more  satisfaction,  and 


THE  PRINCE  AND  THE  CHIEFS.  Ill 

would  have  enabled  them  to  identify  the  Prince  with  greater 
ease  ;  but  such  an  ordeal  as  a  ride  of  six  or  seven  miles  or  more 
through  rivers  of  illuminations  would  have  been  more  than  hu- 
man nature  could  have  undergone,  even  if  equine  patience  would 
have  endured  it.  So  it  was  decided  that  the  entry  should  be 
made  in  carriages.  A  reference  to  the  Appcti.lix  will  show  what 
were  the  official  regulations,  and  it  must  be  said,  considering  the 
difficulties  which  are  found  in  enforcing  arrangements  of  the 
kind,  that  they  were  well  observed. 

When  the  Prince  came  on  shore,  the  anxiety  of  the  Chiefs  to 
see  him  was  almost  painful.  For  once  they  were  much  agitated, 
and  the  proudest  departed  from  the  cover  of  their  habitual  re- 
serve, and  from  the  maintenance  of  that  staid  deportment  which 
the  Oriental  Turveydrop  considers  the  best  proof  of  high  State 
and  regal  dignity.  The  Prince  was  at  first  shut  out  from  their 
view,  or  was  only  revealed  at  times  in  the  centre  of  a  waving  mass 
of  cocked  hats,  plumed  helmets,  uniforms,  European  dresses, 
in  which  he  was  scarcely  distinguishable ;  but  when  they  could 
identify  him,  the  frankness  of  his  smile,  and  the  candid  look  with 
which  he  surveyed  them,  produced  on  the  instant  a  favorable 
impression,  and  when  he  paused  to  return  their  salutations,  with 
hand  uplifted  to  his  helmet,  a  closer  inspection  more  than  con- 
firmed the  idea  which  their  quick  perception  of  character  enabled 
them  to  form  of  his  courtliness. 

Some  who  saw  the  Prince  as  he  landed  thought  they  observed 
that  he  had  a  graver  cast  of  countenance  than  was  habitual  with 
him  a  few  years  ago,  and  said  they  did  not  know  whether  to  at- 
tribute it  to  the  sun,  which  was  unusually  hot  for  the  time  of 
year,  or  to  the  emotion  caused  by  the  novelty  and  grandeur  of 
the  scene,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  such  sights.  Others  wrote 
that  "  he  seemed  serious  and  even  sad  of  aspect "  as  he  walked 
up  the  landing-stage  from  the  Royal  barge,  and  that  he  "  return- 
ed the  salutations  which  greeted  him  with  a  preoccupied  air  that 
betrayed  emotions  working  within."  But  at  all  events  his  an- 
swer to  the  address  of  the  Corporation  was  delivered  with  the 
utmost  clearness  of  elocution,  and  in  a  manner  which  gained  the 


112  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

hearts  of  those  who  saw  him,  if,  indeed,  they  at  all  required  any 
gaining. 

When  the  strains  of  "  God  save  the  Queen  "  died  away  in  the 
hum  of  many  voices,  the  Corporation,  the  members  of  which  had 
been  eagerly  awaiting  for  the  moment,  advanced,  headed  by  Do- 
sabhoy  Framjee,  the  Parsee  chairman,  in  the  pure  white  robes  in 
which  his  race  rejoice,  and  in  the  head-dress  worn  by  his  people, 
which  the  prince  had  already  noticed  at  Aden.  He  said  : 

"  MAY  IT  PLEASE  YOUR  ROYAL  HIGHNESS, — 

"  We,  the  Chairman  and  Members  of  the  Municipal  Corporation  of  Bombay, 
esteem  it  a  high  privilege  to  be  allowed  in  the  name  of  the  Corporation  and 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  this  City  to  greet  your  Royal  Highness  at  your  land- 
ing on  the  shore  of  India,  with  an  address  of  loyal  welcome.  We  rejoice  that 
your  Royal  Highness  should  have  selected  Bombay  as  the  starting-point  of 
your  Indian  travels  ;  for  this  city  is  in  itself  perhaps  the  most  striking  example 
India  can  present  of  the  beneficial  results  that  may  be  produced  by  the  impact 
of  Western  Civilization  on  Oriental  character  and  institutions,  and  of  the  suc- 
cess that  may  attend  earnest  and  judicious  efforts  to  reconcile  all  the  various 
races  of  this  country  to  British  rule. 

"  Bombay  may  lay  claim  to  the  distinction  of  being  a  Royal  city,  for  this 
island  first  became  an  appanage  of  the  Crown  of  England  through  forming 
part  of  the  dowry  of  Charles  II.'s  Portuguese  bride,  and  during  the  two  cen- 
turies that  have  since  elapsed,  Bombay  has  had  every  reason  to  be  grateful  for 
this  fortunate  change  in  her  destiny.  From  a  barren  rock,  whose  only  wealth 
consisted  in  cocoa-nuts  and  dried  fish,  whose  scanty  population  of  10,000 
souls  paid  a  total  revenue  to  the  state  of  not  more  that  than  6ooo/.  a  year, 
whose  trade  was  of  less  value  than  that  of  Tanna  and  Bassein,  and  whose 
climate  was  so  deadly  to  Europeans  that  two  monsoons  were  said  to  be  the 
life  of  a  man,  she  has  blossomed  into  a  fair  and  wholesome  city,  with  a  popu- 
lation that  makes  her  rank  next  to  London  among  the  cities  of  the  British 
Empire,  with  a  municipal  revenue  amounting  to  3OO,ooo/,  a  year,  and  with  a 
foreign  commerce  worth  fully  forty-five  millions,  and  yielding  in  customs'  du- 
ties to  the  Imperial  Treasury  three  millions  a  year.  All  this  material  pros- 
perity she  owes  to  the  strong  and  wise  Government  which  has  secured  her  in 
the  enjoyment  of  peace  and  order,  of  equality  before  the  law,  of  religious  lib- 
erty, and  of  freedom  of  trade,  and  has  thus  given  confidence  to  men  of  all 
races  and  creeds — European,  Indo-Portuguese,  Hindus,  Mohammedans,  Par- 
sees,  and  Jews — to  pursue  their  various  callings  uwder  the  shadow  of  the 
British  flag. 

"  We  gladly,  therefore,  seize  the  occasion  of  your  Royal  Highness's  pres- 


THE  BOMBAY  ADDRESS  AND  THE  FRINGE'S  REPLY.  113 

ence  amongst  us  to  record  our  sense  of  the  blessings  of  British  rule,  and  to 
assure  your  Royal  Highness  of  our  devotion  to  the  throne  which  has  become 
the  enduring  symbol  of  concord,  liberty,  prosperity,  and  progress  to  all 
the  multitude  of  nations  that  own  the  benign  sway  of  Queen  Victoria.  We 
beg  that  your  Royal  Highness  will  convey  to  her  most  Gracious  Majesty 
the  expression  of  our  loyal  sentiments  and  of  our  gratification  that  her  Majesty 
has  sent  the  heir  to  the  Crown  amongst  us  to  become  personally  acquainted 
with  the  people  of  India.  We  regret  that  your  Royal  Highness's  Consort,  the 
Princess  of  Wales,  so  much  and  so  deservedly  beloved  by  the  English  people, 
has  not  been  able  to  accompany  your  Royal  Highness  on  this  journey,  to  learn 
for  herself  in  what  honor  her  name  is  neld  in  India.  We  pray  that  the  God 
of  all  nations  may  watch  over  your  Royal  Highness,  and  bring  your  happy  de- 
sign of  visiting  India,  of  which  we  to-day  witness  the  auspicious  commence- 
ment, to  as  happy  a  conclusion,  so  that  it  may  be  blest  with  good  fruit  here- 
after in  the  strengthening  of  the  ties  of  mutual  interest,  esteem  and  good-will 
which  already  bind  the  Imperial  State  of  Great  Britain  to  its  greatest  depend- 
ency. 

Given  under  the  Common  Seal  of  the  Municipal  Corporation  of  Bombay. 

Chairman. 
Secretary  and  Clerk. 

The  Prince's  reply  was  happily  conceived.  He  said  : — 
"  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  begin  my  travels  in  India  at  a  place  so 
long  associated  with  the  Royal  Family  of  England,  and  to  find  that  during  so 
many  generations  of  British  rule  this  great  port  has  steadily  prospered.  Your 
natural  advantages  would  have  insured  a  large  amount  ot  commerce  under 
any  strong  Government ;  but  in  your  various  and  industrious  population  I 
gladly  recognize  the  traces  of  a  rule  which  gives  shelter  to  all  who  obey  the 
laws,  which  recognizes  no  invidious  distinctions  of  race,  which  affords  to  all 
perfect  liberty  in  matters  of  religious  opinion  and  belief,  and  freedom  in  the 
permit  of  trade  and  of  all  lawful  callings/  I  note  with  satisfaction  the  assur- 
ance I  lerive  from  your  address,  that  under  British  rjile  men  of  varied 
creeds  and  nations  live  in  harmony  among  themselves,  and  develop  totheut- 
most  those  energies  which  they  inherit  from  widely  separate  families  of  man- 
kind, whilst  all  join  in  loyal  attachment  to  the  British  Crown,  and  take  their 
share,  as  in  my  native  country,  in  the  management  of  their  own  local  affairs. 
I  shall  gladly  communicate  to  Her  Majesty  what  you  so  loyally  and  kindly 
say  regarding  the  pleasure  which  the  people  of  India  derive  from  her  Majesty's 
gracious  permission  to  me  to  visit  this  part  of  her  Majesty vc  Empire.  I  assure 
you  that  the  Princess  of  Walcc  has  never  ceased  to  share  my  regret  that  she 
was  unable  to  accompany  me.  She  has  from  her  very  earliest  years  taken  the 
most  lively  interest  in  this  great  country,  and  the  cordiality  of  your  greeting 
this  day  will  make  her  yet  more  regret  the  impossibility  of  her  sharing  in  per- 
son the  pleasure  your  welcome  afforded  me." 

8 


ii4  THE  PRINCE  OF  WAGES'  TOUR. 

Then  the  Prince,  with  Lord  Northbrook  by  his  side,  advanced 
slowly  along  the  carpeted  avenue,  at  the  end  of  which  a  band  of 
Parsee  girls  in  white  were  awaiting  him  with  garlands  and  bas- 
kets of  flowers.  He  stopped  from  time  to  time  to  speak  to  the 
Princes  who  were  presented  to  him  by  the  Viceroy,  the  first 
being  Sir  Salar  Jung,  who  is  only  a  Prime  Minister,  but  who  repre- 
sented the  State  of  Hyderabad.  He  shook  hands  with  most  of 
them,  and  was  especially  gracious  to  the  younger  Chiefs,  sympa- 
thizing perhaps  with  the  cares  which  must  fall  on  such  young 
shoulders  in  time  to  come.  Each  Chief  had  his  Mentor,  his 
"  Political,"  by  his  side,  and  had  a  setting  of  Sirdars  around  and 
behind  him.  A  bystander  wrote  • — "  Even  the  Mahratta  Sirdars, 
who  have  not  much  besides  their  dignity  to  stand  upon,  were 
charmed,  apparently,  with  the  gracious  presence  and  winning 
smile  of  the  future  Emperor  of  India ;  and  when  he  spoke  to 
each  of  them  in  turn  and  seemed  to  take  a  real  interest  in  them, 
even  Oodeypoor  smoothed  his  troubled  brow,  and  forgot  his 
grievance  against  the  Government  which  had  set  the  Gaekwar 
above  him.  We  doubt  if  a  native  noble  left  the  pavilion  without 
feeling  gratified  at  the  notice  taken  of  him  ;  and  it  only  shows 
what  a  mighty  power  lies  hid  in  that  little  word  '  tact,'  when  a 
kind  smile  and  a  courteous  phrase  can  efface  in  a  moment  the 
remembrance  of  innumerable  imagined  slights  inflicted  by  a 
generation  of  stiff  necked  and  narrow-minded  officials." 

Those  of  his  suite  who  had  to  enter  the  carriages  in  advance 
had  actually  left  the  shed  before  the  Prince  landed.  There  is 
one  inconvenience  attendant  on  the  position  of  those  who  are 
taking  part  in  a  procession.  It  is  that  they  see  very  little  of  it — 
they  are  seen  (and  they  are  unable  to  ascertain  whether  that 
produces  a  gratifying  effect  on  the  beholders  or  not) ;  but  on 
such  an  occasion  they  may  be  sure  that  they  are  regarded  with 
the  utmost  indifference,  if,  indeed,  they  are  not  looked  upon 
with  absolute  contempt  and  dislike  as  mere  obstructions  and  im- 
pediments to  the  full  enjoyment  of  the  one  great  object  which 
all  have  come  to  behold.  I  am  enabled  to  write  nothing  of  what 
happened  in  the  Dockyard  on  the  landing  except  from  hearsay. 


THE    PROCESSION.  115 

But  of  what  I  saw  from  the  landing-place  to  Government  House 
I  am  able  to  record  my  own  impressions.  Any  spectator  along 
the  line  of  way  could  give  a  much  more  interesting  narrative  and 
describe  more  fully  the  effect  of  the  procession  itself.  By  one 
of  these  it  was  compared  to  a  Doge's  wedding  as  represented  in 
the  old  pictures,  save  that  it  was  on  land  instead  of  water,  and 
that  the  Bucentaur  passed  between  masses  of  human  beings 
instead  of  gliding  down  canals  lined  by  gondolas.  That  may  be 
far-fetched.  Of  one  matter,  however,  connected  with  this  pro- 
cession I  cannot  speak  in  terms  of  praise.  There  was  no  music  : 
there  was,  indeed,  the  band  of  the  3d  Hussars,  but  it  was  silent. 
The  band  of  the  yth  Fusiliers  was  at  the  landing.  On  such  an 
occasion  as  this  nothing  would  have  been  more  inspiriting  than 
the  performance  of  martial  music  by  mounted  bands  placed  at 
intervals  in  the  line  of  the  procession,  nor  would  it  have  been 
amiss  had  there  been  a  greater  display  of  cavalry  and  even  of 
foot  regiments,  for  the  pace  was  not  so  fast  as  to  have  taxed  the 
powers  of  marching,  and  the  effect  of  the  spectacle  would  have 
been  enormously  enhanced  by  such  an  addition. 

The  Prince  emerged  from  the  Dockyard — a  salute  was  fired 
by  the  artillery,  and  the  procession,  the  head  (in  the  sense  of  the 
beginning)  of  which  had  already  awakened  the  curiosity  of  dense 
multitudes  a  mile  in  advance,  moved  forward,  and  those  wha 
were  by  nine  carriage-lengths  ahead  of  the  vehicle  of  State,  in 
which  the  Prince  and  Viceroy  were  seated,  heard  a  roar  piercing 
through  the  wild  tumult  of  voices  for  a  moment,  as  a  gun  at  sea 
breaks  through  the  noise  of  wind  and  wave.  At  every  station  in 
India  had  been  heard  a  Royal  salute  where  guns  were  to  be 
found  to  fire  it,  and  it  may  be  safely  said  "  that  never  was  there 
so  wide-spread  and  noisy  announcement  of  any  event  made 
known  to  so  many  people  at  the  same  time  as  the  arrival  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  in  India." 

The  impression  produced  by  the  aspect  of  the  streets  can 
scarcely  be  conveyed  in  any  form  of  words ;  certainly  if  one 
were  to  try  to  set  the  sights  down  on  paper,  he  might  well  be 
puzzled.  He  would  have  to  give  an  account  of  every  yard  of  the 


Il6  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

many  miles  through  which  the  Prince  passed,  each  presenting  ex- 
traordinary types  of  dress  and  effects  of  color.  There  was  some 
thing  almost  supernatural  in  those  long  vistas  winding  down  banks 
of  variegated  light,  crowded  with  gigantic  creatures  tossing  their 
arms  aloft,  and  indulging  in  extravagant  gesture,  which  the  eye 
— baffled  by  rivers  of  fire,  blinded  with  the  glare  of  lamps, 
blazing  magnesium  wire,  and  pots  of  burning  matter— sought  in 
vain  to  penetrate.  For  the  most  part,  the  streets  indulge  in  gentle 
curves,  and  as  the  carnages  proceeded  slowly,  new  effects  con- 
tinually opened  up  ;  and  fresh  surprises  came  upon  one,  from 
point  to  point,  till  it  was  a  relief  to  close  the  eyes  out  of  sheer 
satiety,  and  to  refuse  to  be  surprised  any  more.  After  several 
miles  of  these  melodramatic  effects,  no  wonder  there  was  an 
inclination  to  look  for  one  welcome  little  patch  of  darkness  to 
receive  us  in  its  grateful  recesses  ere  the  night  was  over.  Cer- 
tainly it  was  a  spectacle  worth  going  far  to  see — the  like  of  it 
will  never  probably  be  seen  again.  This  is  generally  said  of  any 
spectacle  of  any  unusual  magnificence,  or  of  extraordinary  grand- 
eur ;  but  taking  it  all  in  all,  I  believe  that  very  few  who  witnessed 
the  sight  would  care  to  miss  it,  or  to  go  through  it  all  once  more. 
To  the  spectators,  no  doubt,  the  passage  of  the  cortege  of  the 
Prince,  who  was  the  central  point  on  which  all  eyes  turned,  pre- 
sented an  absorbing  attraction.  But  it  was  a  pleasure  which 
lasted  but  for  a  moment,  for  the  carriage  was  soon  out  of  sight ; 
and  then  silence  gave  way  to  the  noisy  interchange  of  ideas  as 
to  what  had  been  seen,  for  there  was  no  certainty  among  the 
mass  of  natives  respecting  the  Prince's  place  in  the  procession. 
To  those  who  were  passing  between  these  animated  banks  of 
human  beings,  there  came  at  last  an  ennui,  and  a  sense  of  same- 
ness, although,  as  I  have  said,  every  single  yard  of  the  way  was 
marked  by  many  distinctive  types.  Who  could  take  them  all  in? 
Windows  filled  with  Parsee  women — matrons,  girls,  and  children 
— the  bright  hues  of  whose  dresses,  and  the  brilliancy  of  whose 
jewels,  emulated  the  colored  fires  burning  along  the  pavement— 
scarcely  attracted  one's  notice  before  it  was  challenged  by  the 
next  house  filled  with  a  crowd  of  devout  Mohammedans,  or  by  a 


BOMBAY    STREETS.  117 

Hindoo  temple  opposite,  with  its  Brahmins  and  its  votaries  on 
steps  and  roof ;  flanked  appropriately  by  a  Jew  Bazaar,  or  by  an 
Armenian  store,  or  by  the  incongruity  of  a  European  warehouse  ; 
or  was  solicited  by  the  grotesque  monitors  on  a  Jain  Temple. 
For  if  the  changes  in  the  chess-board  are  so  numerous  as  to 
furnish  matter  for  profoundest  calculations,  the  extraordinary 
varieties  of  race  and  population  in  Bombay  present  endless  sub- 
jects for  study,  to  which  only  one  thing  was  now  wanting — ade- 
quate time.  Night  had  long  fallen  ;  at  last  the  whisper  came 
from  the  front  and  ran  down  the  line — "  We  are  nearly  at  home," 
and  Parell  received  the  Prince  with  all  due  honor,  the  most 
illustrious  of  the  many  guests  who  have  been  sheltered  under  the 
roof  of  the  old  Jesuit  convent. 

Up  to  the  gates  of  the  Park,  illuminations  and  crowded 
thoroughfares,  guards  of  honor,  and  salutes  once  more,  and  an 
official  instalment  in  the  mansion  which  was  ablaze  with  lights 
and  prepared  for  the  occasion  with  the  utmost  regard  to  effect 
— clusters  of  turbaned  scarlet-coated  servitors  in  the  hall  and  on 
the  steps,  the  Governor's  Body-Guard  lining  the  corridor  and 
staircases,  and  now  the  day  was  to  be  wound  up  by  a  banquet 
in  the  Great  Hall. 

The  accommodation  afforded  by  Parell  is  not  very  extensive, 
although  the  dining-room  is  exceedingly  fine  and  large,  and 
the  State  apartments  sufficiently  imposing  ;  but  any  way,  it  was 
necessary  that  the  greater  number  of  those  in  attendance  on 
the  Prince  should  be  accommodated  in  tents;  and  on  each  side 
of  a  broad  avenue,  formed  by  noble  trees,  there  was  a  fair  camp 
prepared  for  their  reception,  with  crowds  of  servants  waiting  to 
be  engaged  "  on  approbation" — Portuguese  boys,  in  blue  jackets 
and  white  trousers,  rind  Bombay  natives,  contending  for  choice. 
Outside  the  main  street  of  the  camp  were  tents  for  the  servants; 
for  a  Battery  of  Artillery,  and  for  a  detachment  of  the  2d 
Queen's  Royals,  and  the  quarters  of  the  vast  miscellaneous 
gathering  of  people  which  is  inevitable  at  any  centre  of  power 
and  authority  in  India.  The  tents  were  ready — beds,  tables, 
chairs,  washing  apparatus,  lamps,  tubs,  but  alas  !  there  was  one 


Il8  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

drawback.  The  soil  was  not  very  dry,  and  the  tents  were  pitch- 
ed on  wooden  platforms,  which  did  not  afford  very  equable 
support,  and  as  one  walked,  the  planks  went  up  and  down, 
giving  a  general  impression  of  an  earthquake  about  the  premises. 
Then,  too,  there  were  horrible  suspicions  of  snakes,  for  Parell  is 
built  close  to  a  swamp,  and  the  lower  part  of  the  lawn  may  be 
said  to  melt  into  it. 

The  description  of  a  dinner-party,  even  of  the  grandest, 
cannot  be  made  interesting.  The  impression  produced  by  the 
change  of  color  and  of  costume  of  the  domestics  at  a  burra 
khana  does  not  last  very  long,  or,  if  it  does  not  subside  rapidly, 
it  is  overcome  by  irritation  at  an  appearance  of  alacrity  and 
prompt  obedience  which  is  falsified  by  results  ;  but  the  novelty 
of  the  scene  at  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse's  table,  where  the  glare 
of  Indian  liveries  and  the  picturesque  effects  of  Oriental  attire 
were  seen  for  the  first  time,  must  have  been  by  the  strangers. 
Besides  the  Governor's  servants  in  their  fine  turbans  and  robes, 
there  was  in  attendance  a  small  battalion  of  those  engaged  for 
the  Prince,  in  new  liveries  of  the  native  fashion — a  flat  white- 
head-dress,  with  a  broad  band  of  gold  lace  running  diagonally 
from  the  scarlet  top  to  the  side,  scarlet  surcoats  buttoned  to 
the  throat,  richly  embroidered  with  gold  lace  and  the  Prince's 
plumes  in  silver  on  the  breast,  laced  on  the  sleeves,  edged  with 
gold  lace,  and  confined  by  rich  cummerbunds,  but — "  desinet  in 
pi  seem  " — the  glittering  personages  so  fine  above  wore  thin 
white  trousers,  and  went  barefooted.  Those  specially  attached 
to  the  Prince's  service  were  fine-looking  fellows,  and  so  com- 
pletely devoted  to  their  work,  that  they  would  have  seen  all  the 
company  die  of  hunger  sooner  than  give  them  a  morsel.  One 
there  was  whose  place  and  duty  it  was  to  stand  behind  the 
Royal  chair  with  a  long  fan  to  chase  away  the  flies.  Two  others 
were  engaged  on  State  occasions  to  cool  the  air  by  the  slow 
lateral  movements  of  the  great  hand-punkahs.  So  far  as  I 
remember,  there  was  only  one  Indian  noble  of  high  rank  at  the 
feast,  and  that  was  Sir  S'alar  Jung. 

The  health  of  the  Queen  was  drunk  with  extraordinary  en- 


THE    BURRA    KHANA.  IIQ 

thusiasm,  but  the  few  words  which  prefaced  the  health  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales  were  followed  by  what  in  such  company  might 
be  described  as  a  storm  of  applause.  There  was  a  State  recep- 
tion in  the  grand  drawing-room  up  stairs  after  the  banquet,  and 
the  Prince  remained  till  near  midnight,  conversing  with  the 
various  guests  with  unflagging  energy,  but  the  departure  of  the 
Viceroy  for  Malabar  Point  was  the  signal  for  the  breaking-up  of 
the  company.  Not  one  of  the  least  of  the  strange  sights  to-night 
was  that  afforded  outsijde  by  the  carriages,  and  the  lights  of  the 
running  footmen  in  attendance  on  them,  which  reminded  one 
of  what  might  have  been  seen  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cdvent 
Garden,  or  of  the  Grand  Opera  in  Paris  on  the  night  of  a  fancy 
ball.  The  heat  did  not  abate,  and  it  contributed  not  a  little 
to  the  exhaustion  of  the  labors  of  the  day,  and  to  the  ef- 
fects of  the  passage  through  the  fiery  furnace  of  the  streets. 
There  were  few  even  of  the  youngest  who  did  not  rejoice  when 
it  was  time  to  walk  down  the  steps  of  the  Government  House, 
and  make  their  way  along  the  avenue  of  trees  to  their  tents, 
where  the  watchful  "  boys  "  were  sitting  ghostlike  in  their  white 
robes,  waiting  to  see  their  masters  to  bed.  There  was  an  ap- 
pearance in  the  sky  over  the  city  as  of  a  great  fire.  Camp  fires 
blazed  around.  "  Is  it  not  all  like  the  description  in  the  '  In- 
ferno,' "  observed  a  friend  to  me,  "  where  the  poet  says — 

"  '  Sovra  tutto  '1  sabbion  d'un  cader  lento, 
Pioven  di  fuoco  dilatate  falde, 
Come  di  neve  in  alpe  sanza  vento. 
Quali  Alessandro  in  quelle  parti  calde 
D'India  vede  sovra  lo  suo  stuolo 
Fiamme  cadere  infino  a  terra  salde  ?  '  " 

There  was  the  stir  of  an  army  not  yet  reposing.  Challenges 
of  sentries,  neighing  and  clatter  of  horses,  and  from  afar  came 
the  dull  beat  of  drums  and  the  monotonous  chants  of  the  camp- 
followers  outside  Parell,  for  these  are  very  night  birds.  "  Boy  ! 
Close  the  tent !  Bund-Kharo !  Good-night !  " 

November  9. — Very  early  risers  must  men  be  who  want  to  work 
in  India,  if  not  elsewhere.     Once  more  in  a  tent,  with  black  faces 


I2O  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

all  around  one  !  People  and  trees  and  surroundings  all  different 
— mango-trees  and  mango-birds,  the  gold  mohur-tree,  cocoa-nut 
and  toddy-trees  (Borassus  flabelliformis},  the  wheeling  kites  over- 
head— higher  still,  the  soaring  vultures — the  cry  of  the  great 
woodpecker,  and  the  chattering  of  the  familiar  minar — a  new 
land,  but  a  glance  revealed  that  you  were  in  India,  and  you  felt 
it  too.  There  is  the  Head-quarters'  barber,  in  a  great  red  Mah- 
ratta  turban,  waiting  outside — a  handsome  smooth-faced  fellow, 
who  makes  his  English  go  a  long  way,  and  who  is  a  master  in  his 
art,  though  his  fingers  are  deadly  cold,  and  he  is  for  his  trade  over 
fond  of  garlic.  Him,  be  sure,  you  will  never  lose  sight  of  as  long  as 
you  are  in  India.  There  is  the  bheestie  with  his  water-skin,  ready 
to  fill  your  tub.  There  is  the  syce  with  your  horse  outside,  if 
you  are  minded  for  a  morning  ride.  There  is  the  sweeper  hover- 
ing in  the  distance,  the  khelassies  or  tent-pitchers  awaiting  orders, 
the  khitmutgar  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  the  Bombay  "  boy  " — in 
my  case  one  Jivan, — a  slight,  quiet,  demure-looking  man  of  forty 
or  so, — who  has  already  taken  possession  of  my  property — boxes, 
bags,  clothes,  money  and  all — to  the  intense  astonishment  of 
Maclachlan,  who  would  have  resisted  his  assumptions  by  force, 
but  that  I  told  him  it  was  the  custom  of  the  country.  These 
and  others.  Each  tent  is  a  centre  of  existence  to  seven  or 
eight  of  the  people  called  "  Natives,"  to  whom  you  are  for  the  time 
being  lord  and  master.  The  impudent  and  irrepressible  crows, 
which  are  already  marking  you  for  their  own,  are  taking  accurate 
note  of  your  proceedings  and  studying  your  character  from  the 
branches  of  the  mango-tree  overhead,  and  have  been  trying  your 
patience  by  making  a  prodigious  cawing  and  croaking  on  the  top 
of  your  tent.  Looking  up  the  grand  avenue  toward  Parell,  you  see 
the  sentries  pacing  before  the  portico,  the  Royal  Standard  floating 
overhead,  and  the  Sowars  mounted  and  ready  for  duty  outside. 
There  are  busy  groups  of  people  before  every  tent  on  each  side 
of  the  main  street,  and  word  comes  round  that  in  a  couple  of 
hours  breakfast  will  be  served,  and  that,  two  hours  later,  every  one 
is  to  be  in  uniform,  in  readiness  to  assist  at  the  reception  of  the 
Princes  and  Chiefs  in  Government  House. 


THE    FIRST    MORNING    IN    INDIA.  121 

There  was  but  little  time  to  look  around  one,  although  the 
shade  of  the  noble  trees  in  the  garden  at  the  back  of  Government 
House,  and  the  display  of  new  plants  and  flowers,  and  the  lake 
with  its  terraced  margin  were  very  tempting,  and  made  one  envy 
General  Probyn  his  quarters  in  the  detached  bungalow  inside. 
The  Prince  of  Wales's  birthday  is  to  be  duly  honored  all  over 
Hindostan  India  at  noon  ;  and  the  first  object  which  greeted  his 
eyes  this  morning  was  a  portrait  of  the  Princess,  which  had  been 
entrusted  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere  for  this  happy  occasion.  Probably 
he  never  had  a  more  trying  day,  for,  accustomed  as  he  has  been 
to  the  performance  of  nearly  all  the  duties  of  Royalty  and  to  ad- 
minister its  functions,  his  Royal  Highness  had  now  to  make  him- 
self acquainted,  at  very  short  notice  with  formalities  of  a  novel 
character,  to  which  the  greatest  importance  was  attached,  and  be 
fore  the  eyes  of  a  most  sensitive  and  watchful  Court  of  Princes 
and  Chiefs,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  such  routine  all  their 
lives,  he  had  to  go  through  ceremonies  which,  if  not  ridiculous, 
struck  a  stranger  as  frivolous  or  unmeaning.  The  heat  even  at 
8  A.M.  was  quite  sufficient  to  warn  us  that  we  were  in  India,  and 
yet  the  Prince  was  obliged  to  wear  a  uniform  of  European  cloth, 
laden  with  lace  and  buttoned  up  to  the  throat,  and  to  stand  and 
sit  for  hours,  going  through  the  same  kind  of  labor  with  each  of 
the  Rajas  whom  he  received,  who  after  a  time  must  have  seemed 
very  much  like  the  same  people  who  had  just  left  the  room  and 
were  come  back  again — figures  lighted  up  with  jewels,  followed  by 
crowds  in  white  robes  and  gay  head-dresses.  A  little  before  10  A.M. 
the  members  of  the  suite  who  were  not  on  out- door  duty  were 
directed  to  repair  to  the  inner  audience  chamber  on  the  drawing- 
room  floor  of  Government  House.  At  the  entrance  stood  two 
gorgeous  people  in  scarlet  and  gold  surcoats  and  turbans, 
with  massive  gilt  implements  in  their  hands.  Servants,  similarly 
clad,  with  gilt  batons  of  curious  form  held  like  swords,  were  ranged 
along  the  sides  of  the  room.  Twenty-four  chairs  were  placed 
on  the  left  of  the  silver  Throne  which  had  been  prepared  for  the 
Prince  at  the  end  of  the  room  on  a  cloth  of  scarlet  and  gold.  Be- 
hind this  seat  stood  four  servitors — two  with  peacocks'  feathers 


122  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

and  horse-tails,  and  two  with  the  broad  fans,  familiar  to  every  one 
who  has  seen  a  picture  of  an  Oriental  reception ;  which  were 
moved  by  the  bearers  to  and  fro  on  the  long  stems  on  which 
they  were  resting.  On  the  right  of  the  Prince  s  Throne  twenty- 
four  chairs  were  ranged,  with  a  second  rank  behind.  On  the  wall 
behind  the  Throne  was  a  portrait  of  the  Queen.  In  front,  and 
extending  about  three-fourths  of  the  length  of  the  room  or  hall, 
was  "  the  Carpet,"  which  plays  such  a  large  part  in  Durbars 
The  programmes  do  not  use  that  word  on  the  present  occasion, 
and  style  the  ceremonies  of  to-day  "  private  visits."  It  was  men- 
tioned in  the  early  correspondence  on  the  subject,  that  the  Prince 
could  not  hold  "  Durbars  ;  "  but  it  would  have  been  very  difficult 
to  have  detected  much  distinction  between  these  and  the  private 
visits,  except  in  the  fact  that  the  Chiefs  were  introduced  separ- 
ately and  had  separate  audiences.  Thus  certain  grave  questions 
connected  with  precedence  were  evaded.  But  the  "  carpet  "  was 
there — the  kudometer,  if  the  word  may  be  coined,  by  which  Vice- 
roys and  others  measure  the  degree  of  consideration  and  honor 
which  is  assigned  to  the  durbarees,  or  those  entitled  to  be  re- 
ceived in  Durbars.  In  the  centre  of  the  purple  or  crimson  cloth, 
which  was  provided  with  gold-lace  borders,  there  was  an  embla- 
zonment of  the  Royal  Arms  and  motto  in  full.  It  is  with  refer- 
ence to  the  outer  edge  of  this  carpet,  and  to  the  exact  number  of 
steps  taken  by  Prince  or  Viceroy  from  the  Throne  along  it  that 
the  rank  of  the  visitor  is  determined. 

As  yet  the  Prince  of  Wales  has  only  been  seen  by  the  mul- 
titude, and  has  only  exchanged  a  few  words  with  the  Chiefs. 
He  has  been  surounded  by  Europeans  and  has  been  at  a  "  Burra 
khana."  Now  he  is  to  receive  those  Chiefs  who  have  come 
from  all  parts  of  the  vast  Presidency,  larger  and  more  populous 
than  many  kingdoms.  They  have  already  had  a  kind  of  re- 
hearsal, for  the  Viceroy  has  held  a  Durbar  at  which,  mutatis 
mutandis,  every  form  has  been  observed  which  will  be  followed 
to-day. 

Be  good  enough  to  read  this  official  document,  and  you  will 
see  what  is  laid  down.  It  is  "No.  L,  Programme  for  the 


THE    FIRST    RECEPTION.  123 

reception  of  His  Highness  the  Raja  of  Kolhapoor  by  His 
Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  No.  I.,  Foreign  Depart- 
ment," dated  Bombay,  6th  Nov.  1875,  and  addressed  to  "  Political 
Officers  concerned,"  and  others.  It  runs  thus : 

"At  10  A.  M.  on  Tuesday,  the  gth  November,  1875,  ms  Royal  Highness 
the  Prince  of  Wales  will  receive  a  private  visit  from  his  Highness  the  Raja 
of  Kolhapoor. 

"  The  Raja  will  be  accompanied  by  nine  of  his  principal  Sirdars  and 
by  the  officer  on  duty  with  the  Raja,  and  will  be  escorted  from  his  residence 
by  a  party  of  cavalry. 

"  Major  R.  W.  Sartorius  and  one  of  the  Prince's  aides-de-camp  will  prc* 
ceed  on  horseback  500  yards  from  Government  House,  Parell,  to  receive  and 
conduct  the  Raja  to  the  Prince's  residence. 

"  Major  P.  D.  Henderson  and  an  aide-de-camp  will  receive  the  Raja  as 
he  alights  from  his  carriage,  and  will  conduct  him  to  his  Royal  Highness's 
presence. 

"  The  prince  will  receive  his  Highness  at  the  edge  of  the  carpet,  shake 
hands  with  him,  and  conduct  him  to  a  seat  on  his  right  hand. 

"  On  the  right  of  the  Raja  will  sit  the  officer  on  duty  with  the  Raja,  and 
the  Sirdars  in  attendance  on  his  Highness  according  to  their  rank. 

"  The  other  British  officers  present  will  sit  on  the  Prince's  left,  in  the 
order  of  their  rank. 

"After  a  few  minutes'  conversation  the  attendant  Sirdars  will  be  intro* 
duced  by  Major  Sartorius,  and  will  present  the  usual  nuzzurs,  which  will 
be  touched  and  remitted. 

"  Uttur  and  pan  will  then  be  given  to  the  Raja  by  the  Prince.  Major 
Henderson  will  present  uttur  and  pan  to  the  principal  attendant  Sirdars,  and 
Major  Sartorius  to  the  others. 

"  On  the  departure  of  the  Raja,  the  Prince  will  conduct  his  Highness  to 
the  edge  of  the  carpet ;  Major  Henderson  and  an  aide-de-camp  will  accom- 
pany his  Highness  to  his  carriage  ;  Major  Sartorius  and  an  aide-de-camp  to 
a  distance  of  500  yards  from  Government  House  ;  and  a  party  of  cavalry 
as  far  as  his  Highness's  residence. 

"  A  salute  of  19  guns  will  be  fired  on  the  arrival  and  departure  of  the 
Raja. 

"  A  guard  of  honor  will  be  drawn  up  in  front  of  Government  HOUS&  And 
will  present  arms  as  the  Raja  passes. 

"  Full  Uniform  to  be  worn, 

"  P.  D.  Henderson. 
"  Political  Officer  on  the  Staff  of 
"  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales" 


124  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

The  Prince  came  into  the  Throne-room  shortly  before  the 
time  fixed  for  the  first  reception.  He  looked  at  the  gorgeous 
Chair  of  State  with  its  golden  arms,  one  representing  a  lion,  the 
other  a  bull,  as  if  he  thought  it  was  somewhat  too  fine.  The 
Duke  of  Sutherland,  in  blue  and  silver,  wearing  the  Riband 
of  the  Garter;  Major-General  Lord  Alfred  Paget  in  uniform 
of  Major-General ;  Sir  Bartle  Frere  in  official  uniform,  with  the 
Riband  of  the  Star  of  India  ;  Lord  Suffield  in  State  uniform  as 
head  of  the  Prince's  Household  ;  Major-General  Probyn 
(uniform,  Equerry)  ;  Colonel  O.  Williams  (uniform,  Royal 
Horse  Guards)  ;  Lieut. -Colonel  Ellis  (uniform,  Equerry)  ;  Lord 
Carington  (uniform,  Royal  Horse  Guards) ;  the  Earl  Ayles- 
ford  (Yeomanry)  ;  Lord  C.  Beresford  (uniform,  Lieut.  R.  N.) 
Dr.  Fayrer  (uniform,  Surgeon-Major)  Mr.  Knollys  (House- 
hold), and  others;  some  on  the  Prince's  left  hand  in  order; 
others  on  duty  outside ;  and  others,  again  engaged  in  the 
trying  task  of  galloping  up  and  down  in  the  hot  sun  in 
attendance  on  Rajas,  were  all  in  their  places. 

A  little  before  10  A.  M.  the  guns  of  the  R.  A.  battery  in 
the  Park  outside  began  to  fire  a  salute,  and  before  we  could 
count  the  nineteen  coups  to  which  his  Highness  is  entitled, 
the  Raja  of  Kolhapoor  droye  up  to  the  front  of  Parell  House 
with  a  great  flourish  in  a  grand  carriage  drawn  by  four  horses, 
with  servants  in  beautiful  liveries  of  blue  and  silver,  and  a  mag- 
nificent fan-bearer  behind,  wielding  a  blazing  machine  to  keep 
the  sun  away.  He  was  received  as  per  programme,  led  up  the 
steps  into  the  Hall,  so  up  the  grand  staircase  lined  with  the 
Governor's  servitors — then  into  the  corridors,  and  so  conducted 
to  the  entrance  of  the  Throne-room.  There  he  stood  for  a 
moment.  But  inexorable  fate  in  the  shape  of  Major  Hender- 
son led  him  forward  towards  the  Prince,  who  had  risen  and 
advanced  with  great  dignity  down  the  carpet  to  meet  him. 
At  the  edge  he  stretched  forth  his  hand  and  took  that  of  the 
Raja,  whom  he  drew  towards  him  kindly.  After  the  Raja 
trooped  the  Sirdars,  each  holding  his  sword  by  the  sheath, 
which  has  neither  straps  buckle  nor  slings,  and  is  thrust  into 


THE    MAHARAJAH    OF    KOLHAPOOR.  125 

the  cummerband  when  it  is  borne  in  action.  A  few  phrases  of 
courtesy  were  exchanged  between  the  Shahzadah  and  the  de- 
cendant  of  Sivajee  (who  can  tell  how  many  degrees  removed  ?), 
adopted  by  the  amiable  Prince  of  Kolhapoor  who  died  six  years 
ago.  Chatrapati  Maharaj  Raja  Sivajee  IV.  is  a  Mahratta, 
twelve  years  of  age,  and  belongs  to  the  Bhonsla  family.  He 
was  attired  in  purple  velvet  and  white  muslin,  and  was  intrusted 
with  gems.  His  turban  was  a  wealth  of  pearls  and  rubies ; 
his  neck  like  an  array  of  the  show-cases  of  some  great  jeweller. 
The  Raja  is  as  yet  a  mere  child,  despite  his  years,  and  seems 
as  if  he  would  be  the  better  for  a  little  course  of  cricketing 
or  of  some  other  bodily  exercise.  The  State,  which  is  ruled 
in  his  name,  contains  upwards  of  3000  square  miles,  and  more 
than  800,000  people,  and  has  a  gross  revenue  of  3,047,243  ru- 
pees. 

It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  face  of  the  Raja  as  he  raised 
his  eyes  to  meet  those  of  the  Prince.  It  wore  an  expression  of 
pleased  surprise  as  his  Royal  Highness,  coming  to  the  regulation 
spot  on  the  edge  of  the  carpet,  with  a  pleasant  smile  took  the  hand 
of  the  little  Chief  and  led  him  opposite  the  silver  chair,  where  he 
left  him  with  a  bow,  and  sat  down.  The  Political  Agent  then 
conducted  the  Chief  to  the  chair  on  the  right  of  the  Prince,  leav- 
ing another  for  the  officer  who  acted  as  interpreter.  The  Raja's 
quick,  soft  eye  rolled  down  the  line  of  the  suite  opposite,  and 
then  remained  fixed  on  the  Prince  ;  and  his  Sirdars — who  sat  in 
a  row,  contrasting  very  much  indeed,  in  their  Oriental  bravery  of 
shawls,  jewels  and  tissue  of  gold,  with  the  plain  uniforms  of  the 
Prince's  suite  opposite — watched  every  gesture  of  both.  A  few 
compliments  were  exchanged,  but  the  remarks  at  such  a  recep- 
tion are  of  an  official  character.  Then  it  came  to  the  turn  of  the 
Sirdars.  Each  rose  in  turn  and  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the 
Throne  or  chair  of  State,  salaaming  low,  and  presented  to  the 
Prince  a  kerchief  containing  gold  mohurs.  This  the  Prince 
touched  with  his  right  hand  and  remitted,  and  the  Sirdar  walked 
backwards  as  instructed,  not  always  with  ease,  to  his  seat.  When 
these  presentations  were  ended,  the  Prince  and  all  present  rose, 


126  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

and  his  Royal  Highness  taking  from  those  in  attendance  a  gold 
and  jewelled  scent  bottle,  shook  a  few  drops  of  perfume  (uttur) 
on  the  Rajah's  pocket-handkerchief,  and  then  from  another  rich 
casket  took  the  betel-nut  (pan),  wrapped  in  fresh  green  leaf  cover- 
ed with  gold  foil,  which  he  placed  in  the  Raja's  hand;  Major 
Henderson,  as  per  programme,  doing  the  same  for  the  Sirdars. 
The  interview  was  at  an  end,  and  the  Prince  led  his  Highness 
to  the  sacred  verge,  and  thence  he  was  conducted  to  the  entrance, 
where  he  vanished  with  his  face  still  turned  to  the  Throne.  The 
Maharaja  went  off  as  he  came,  in  great  state. 

Scarcely  had  the  echo  of  the  salute  for  him  of  Kolhapoor 
died  away  when  the  guns  once  more  opened,  this  time  firing 
twenty-one  rounds,  to  announce  the  coming  of  the  Maharaja  of 
Mysore.  He  is  the  adopted  son  of  the  Maharaja  who  died  in 
1867,  and  the  restoration  of  his  House  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able political  acts  of  any  recent  Indian  Government.  His  High 
ness,  an  intelligent-looking  lad  of  thirteen  years  of  age,  is  the 
subject  of  a  great  experiment,  and  represents  the  results  of  the 
subversion,  by  English  hands,  of  the  Mohammedan  power  founded 
by  Hyder  Ali,  and  the  restitution  of  a  Native  State  to  the  rule  of 
a  Hindoo  House,  which,  strictly  speaking,  had  no  direct  right  in 
virtue  of  descent  to  enjoy  it.  It  was  for  some  time  doubtful 
whether  the  adoption  of  Chamrajendra  Wadia  by  the  Maharaja 
in  1865  would  be  recognized  ;  but  six  months  after  his  death,  the 
lad.  then  not  quite  seven  years  old,  was  installed  on  the  throne, 
and  was  placed  in  the  charge  of  most  careful  and  laborious  offi- 
cers, whilst  the  affairs  of  the  ill-governed  State  were  retained  in 
the  hands  of  the  British  Government,  but  will  be  handed  over  to 
him  when  he  is  eighteen  years  old,  if  he  "  shall  then  be  found 
qualifiedfor  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his  exalted  position,  and 
subject  to  such  conditions  as  may  be  determined  at  the  time." 
The  State  contains  27,000  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  more 
than  5,000,000  souls.  The  revenue  is  put  down  at  10,820,000 
rupees,  and  it  pays  an  annual  subsidy  to  the  British  Government 
of  2,450,000  rupees.  The  jewels  which  literally  hung  on  him 
must  De  of  enormous  value.  One  stone  of  the  many  of  his  neck- 


, 
MYSORE    AND    OODEJfPOOR.  \      I2/ 


lace  is  said  to  be  worth  nine  lacs  of  rupees.  Some  of  the  suite 
smiled  as  the  Band  outside  played  the  duet  of  the  brave  Gen- 
darmes, "  We'll  run  him  in,"  by  way  of  prelude  to  his  entrance  to 
the  audience  chamber.  He  wore  a  coat  of  black  velvet.  His 
neck,  wrists,  arm  ,  and  ankles,  were  encircled  with  strings  of 
pearls,  diamonds,  and  rubies.  His  turban  was  graced  with  an 
aigrette  of  brilliants  of  large  size,  and  a  large  tuft  of  strings  of 
big  pearls  and  emeralds  hung  down  on  his  shoulder  from  the  top. 
His  Sirdars  were  equal  in  splendor  to  such  a  Chief.  The  same 
forms  were  observed  as  before,  but  the  visit  lasted  a  little  longer. 
The  Prince  expressed  his  pleasure  at  hearing  the  little  Maharaja 
speak  fluent  English,  and  on  being  informed  that  he  loved  the 
chase,  was  a  good  shot,  and  could  play  cricket,  and  sent  him  away 
in  evident  contentment. 

He  who  came  after  Mysore  was  regarded  with  some  curiosity. 
Who  could  be  indifferent  to  the  presence  of  one  who  claims  celes- 
tial descent,  and  has  his  claim  allowed — whose  blood  is  of  such 
heavenly  blue  that  marriage  with  a  daughter  of  the  house  is  only 
to  be  obtained  at  the  cost  of  a  province,  and  who  is,  according 
to  Tod,  the  living  representative  of  the  only  dynasty  which,  with 
the  exception  of  Jaisalmir,  "  outlived  eight  centuries  of  foreign 
domination  in  the  same  land  where  conquest  placed  them,  and 
who  now  holds  the  territory  which  his  ancestors  held  when  the 
Conqueror  from  Ghizneh  first  crossed  the  "blue  waters"  of  the 
Indus  to  invade  India  ?  "  Sir  Thomas  Roe,  indeed,  asserts  that 
the  House  of  Oodeypoor  is  descended  from  Porus  !  The  Maha- 
rana  is  a  young  man  of  the  highest  race  in  India,  and  if  all  tales 
be  true,  of  considerable  force  of  character.  He  boasts  of  the 
oldest  pedigree  in  the  world,  and  "  looks  a  gentlemen  all  over." 
He  speaks  English,  is  tall,  good-looking,  and  very  fair — of  a  fair- 
er hue  than  the  average  Europeans  of  the  South — and  is  of  very 
dignified  manners  and  carriage,  with  an  air  as  if  he  were  con- 
scious of  his  origin,  and  meant  to  keep  up  the  traditions  of  the 
I  louse.  But  what  can  he  do  at  the  best  ?  What  career  is  open 
to  him  ?  He  rules,  but  does  not  govern  ;  and  unless  some  change 
be  introduced  in  the  system,  the  instruction  given  to  the  Native 


128  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

Princes  in  English  and  other  learning,  and  the  cultivation  of  their 
minds,  with  all  the  concomitant  knowledge  of  history,  and  the 
birth  of  new  ideas — patriotism,  ambition,  and  the  like — will  prove 
not  only  mischievous  but  disastrous.  He  was  dressed  all  in 
white — turban,  robe,  and  pantaloons  ;  but  on  his  head-dress  there 
was  an  aigrette  of  magnificent  diamonds,  and  he  exhibited  on  his 
neck  and  on  his  arms  some  great  pearls  and  rubies,  and  his  gold 
sash  was  ornamented  with  a  buckle  set  with  the  finest  brilliants. 
His  sword-hilt  and  sheath  were  richly  studded  with  precious 
stones.  The  Sirdars  in  his  train  were  attired  in  green  satin  and 
brocade,  and  white  turbans,  and  were  more  resplendent  than  their 
Chief. 

The  Maharana  has  but  nineteen  guns ;  his  State  contains 
1 1,614  square  miles,  and  a  population  of  1,168,000  people.  The 
revenue  is  about  4,000,000  rupees,  of  which  2o,ooo/,  goes  as  trib- 
ute to  the  British  Government.  The  Prince,  who  is  not  yet  of 
age,  was  adopted  by  the  late  Maharana,  and  is  the  son  of  the 
elder  of  his  two  uncles,  both  of  whom  were  excluded  from  the 
succession.  The  Prince  and  the  Maharana  seemed,  to  use  a 
common  phrase,  to  get  on  very  well  together,  and  there  was 
evidently  a  good  deal  of  sympathy  in  the  interview. 

The  Rao  (Pragmul)  of  Cutch,  who  rose  from  his  sick  bed  to 
pay  homage  to  the  Prince,  came  next — a  tall,  dignified,  portly 
man,  walking  with  great  difficulty  ;  so  ill,  indeed,  that  he  only 
returned  to  his  State  to  die,  to  the  great  grief  of  his  subjects 
and  of  all  who  knew  him.  There  are  only  seventeen  guns  allot- 
ted to  him.  The  Prince  did  not  go  further  than  the  middle  of 
the  carpet  to  meet  the  Chief ;  but  the  Rao  and  his  Sirdars  made 
a  very  impressive  appearance  for  all  that.  Next  to  the  Prince 
himself,  the  Rao  seemed  desirous  of  seeing  Sir  Bartle  Frere, 
and  the  same  remark  applies  to  all  the  Bombay  Chiefs,  amongst 
whom  the  ex-Governor  had  left  most  pleasant  memories.  The 
"  good  "  that  men  do  oft  lives  with  them.  It  was  touching  to 
think  of  the  painful  journey  this  infirm  old  man  had  made  to 
pay  homage  to  the  Prince  and  see  him  for  a  few  moments.  He 
retired  with  evident  satisfaction.  The  State  is  small — 6500 


MAHARAJA    SYAJEE    RAO.  129 

square  miles,  exclusive  of  the  Ran,  which  contains  9000  square 
miles.  The  population  is  under  half  a  million,  and  the  revenue 
is  but  1,500,000  rupees.  It  was  harshly  dealt  with  by  our  rulers 
in  times  past ;  but  they  did  some  good  too,  and  now  they  are 
doing  justice.  It  was  now  ten  minutes  past  eleven  o'clock,  and 
more  than  an  hour  had  gone  by  in  the  performance  of  these 
ceremonies,  when  twenty-one  guns  announced  that  some  one  of 
Royal  dignity  was  near  at  hand. 

All  eyes  were  dazzled  when  Maharaja  Syajee  Rao,  the  little 
boy  whom  the  Government  of  India  installed  as  the  Gaekwar  of 
Baroda,  stood  at  the  threshold  of  the  door — a  crystallized  rain- 
bow. He  is  a  small,  delicately-framed  lad  for  his  twelve  years 
and  more,  with  a  bright  pleasant  face.  He  was  weighted,  head, 
neck,  chest,  arms,  fingers,  ankles,  with  such  a  sight  and  wonder 
of  vast  diamonds,  emeralds,  rubies,  and  pearls,  as  would  be 
worth  the  loot  of  many  a  rich  town.  It  is  useless  to  give  the 
estimate  I  heard  of  their  value,  and  the  little  gentleman  has 
more  at  home.  We  all  know  his  history,  how  he  owes  his  posi- 
tion and  his  future  inheritance,  whatever  it  may  be,  to  the  at- 
tempt made  to  poison  Colonel  Phayre,  and  to  the  selection 
by  Jumnabaae,  widow  of  the  predecessor  of  the  ex-Gaekwar, 
now  somewhere  in  custody,  of  a  little  scion  of  the  House  of  Pil- 
ajee,  who  founded  the  family,  and  whose  descendant  (Pertab 
Rao)  little  dreamt  of  the  revival  of  the  branch  in  the  person  of 
his  son.  He  was  met  at  the  edge  of  the  carpet,  and  strode  with 
much  solemnity  to  his  seat  side  by  side  with  the  Prince.  Sir 
Madhava  Rao,  Sir  R.  Meade,  and  a  noble  train  of  Chiefs  came 
with  him.  The  first  is  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  men  in  In- 
dia ;  the  second  is  distinguished  as  a  soldier  and  as  a  diplom- 
atist, and  is  deemed  by  the  Government  worthy  of  the  highest 
trust  and  of  the  most  responsible  posts. 

The  State  of  Baroda  contains  4399  square  miles,  and  a  pop- 
ulation of  more  than  2,000,000.  The  Gaekwar  coins  his  own 
money ;  has  an  army  of  5  batteries  (20  guns  and  400  gunners) 
and  3126  infantry,  2  squadrons  of  horse,  and  an  irregular  force 
of  5000  cavalry  and  7400  footmen,  costing  the  State  40  lacs  of 
6*  o 


I3O  THE   PRINCE   OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

rupees,  or  4oo,ooo/.  annually — a  quoi  ban?  But  Baroda  has 
treaties ;  it  is  bound  to  have  a  "  contingent,"  and  we  control  the 
manufacture  of  salt,  and  the  right  of  opening  ports.  What  the 
revenues  are  seem  rather  indefinite,  but  every  one  believes  Sir 
Madhava  Rao  will  place  them  on  a  sound  footing.  Baroda  is 
now  the  subject  of  an  interesting  experiment.  The  ability  of  a 
Native  administrator  to  construct  a  fabric  out  of  the  ruins  of 
systems  which  covered  every  kind  of  disorder  and  corruption 
will  be  fairly  tested.  Baroda  rules  itself.  Only  in  certain  mat- 
ters which  do  not  interfere  with  the  full  development  of  its  re- 
sources or  with  its  good  government  does  the  Paramount  Power 
pretend  to  exercise  control,  or  does  the  Resident  become  justified 
in  making  representations  to  the  Durbar.  The  term  "  Paramount 
Power  "  is  objected  to  by  certain  Indian  newspapers.  It  is,  how- 
ever, perfectly  applicable  and  absolutely  correct.  In  no  place 
has  the  term  been  more  fully  justified  than  in  Baroda.  The 
present  Regent  is  one  of  the  men  who  rise  to  the  surface  in  Hin- 
dostan  by  sheer  strength  of  talent,  industry,  and  intelligence 
superior  to  all  the  forces  arrayed  against  them.  A  Mahratta 
Brahmin,  forty-seven  years  of  age,  he  may  be  said  to  have  been 
born  in  the  purple  of  Premiership,  for  he  is  a  son  of  one  Prime 
Minister  of  Travancore  and  nephew  of  Vincat  Rao,  who  filled 
a  similar  office.  He  was  educated  in  the  High  School  of  the 
Madras  University,  where  he  was  at  one  time  Acting-Professor 
of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy ;  he  subsequently  filled 
several  posts  in  the  Civil  Service,  and  was  then  appointed  tutor 
and  companion  to  the  Prince  of  Travancore.  He  finally  was 
made  Dewan  or  Prime  Minister  of  that  State  in  1858,  in  which 
capacity  he  acted  for  fourteen  years  with  such  eminent  ability, 
and  with  such  benefit  to  the  British  Native  rule,  that  he  was 
made  Knight  of  the  Star  of  India,  and  was  offered  a  seat  in  the 
Legislative  Council,  which  he  declined.  In  1873  he  was  invited 
by  Holkar  to  become  his  Dewan,  and  administered  the  affairs  of 
Indore  with  success.  When  the  Viceroy  deposed  Mulhar  Rao, 
and  it  became  essential  to  place  Baroda  in  the  hands  of  a  Native 
statesman,  the  British  authorities  applied  to  Sir  Madhava  Rao, 


SIR   MADHAVA    RAO.  131 

who  accepted  the  grave  responsibility.  What,  with  the  advice 
and  assistance  of  Sir  R.  Meade,  he  has  done  already  promises 
well  for  the  futire.  He  has  reconstructed  the  Revenue  system, 
the  Police,  the  Courts  of  Justice,  and  has  reformed  the  whole 
administration  of  the  State.  He  has  acted  on  the  principle  of 
paying  all  Government  officers  very  high  salaries,  so  as  to  secure 
able  men,  and  to  diminish  the  temptations  to  speculation  and 
corruption  which  operate  so  powerfully  in  countries  beyond  the 
bounds  of  Hindostan ;  and  it  is  stated,  on  very  good  authority, 
that  justice  is  administered,  and  order  and  law  established  and 
maintained,  with  firmness  and  certainty.  The  village  watchman 
still  exercises  his  calling,  but  he  is  well  paid  and  is  made  directly 
responsible  for  his  village;  so,,  onwards  and  upwards,  in  all 
branches  of  the  Administration,  Sir  Madhava  Rao  has  so  organ- 
ized the  offices  that  there  is  no  ground  of  complaint  of  inade- 
quate or  irregular  payment,  while  the  Revenue  shows  a  large  and 
rapid  increase.  He  has  not  begun  by  sweeping  away  all  old  in- 
stitutions and  customs,  tearing  up  tradition  by  the  roots,  and 
leaving  a  bleeding  and  irritating  surface  to  receive  the  applica- 
tion of  new  ideas,  but  he  has  worked  on  the  old  basis  and  re- 
paired the  ancient  structure.  Here  we  have  a  man  of  the  intel- 
lectual type  of  that  Purnia  of  Mysore  described  by  an  illustrious 
Englishman,  who  said,  when  speaking  of  Talleyrand,  "  He  is 
like  Purnia,  only  not  so  clever ; "  but  Sir  Madhava  Rao  is,  in 
in  point  of  character  and  directness,  greatly  the  superior  of 
Wellesley's  typical  Brahmin  Minister.  The  visit  of  the  Gaekwar 
lasted  a  minute  or  two  longer  than  usual,  for  the  Prince  asked 
several  questions,  and  conversed  with  Sir  Madhava  Rao  and  Sir 
R.  Meade.  The  forms  prescribed  in  the  programme  were  duly 
observed,  and  the  Gaekwar,  whose  cortege  and  escort  were  very 
splendid,  departed. 

Next  we  had  one  of  the  most  interesting  events  of  the  day. 
It  was  the  reception  of  his  Excellency  Sir  Salar  Jung,  G.C.S.I., 
Vikar-ul-Umra,  Nawab  Khurshid  Jah,  Nawab  Ikbal-ud-daula,  and 
the  other  members  of  the  deputation  representing  His  Highness 
the  Nizam  of  Hyderabad.  The  Nizam's  Minister  was  dressed 


132  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

with  studied  simplicity  in  a  long  robe  of  dark  green  cloth,  over 
which  he  wore  the  riband,  G. C.S.I.,  a  plain  gold  waist-belt,  and 
a  very  small  white  turban,  which  set  off  his  well-developed  brow 
and  fine  but  melancholy  face  to  great  advantage.  The  Prince 
received  Sir  Salar  Jung,  who  led  the  deputation,  in  the  middle  of. 
the  carpet.  He  shook  hands  with  him,  and  the  members  of  the 
deputation.  Few  words  passed,  but  the  Minister  seemed  diffi- 
dent. His  reserve  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  apprehension  that 
he  would  be  regarded  as  a  persona  non  grata  on  account  of  the 
inability  of  the  young  Nizam  to  appear,  but  there  was  nothing  in 
his  reception  by  the  Prince  after  dinner  last  night,  or  in  the  man- 
ner of  his  Royal  Highness  to-day,  which  gave  any  outward  sign  of 
displeasure.  Sir  Salar  Jung  did  not  speak  until  he  was  spoken 
to.  After  a  brief  conversation,  he  presented  on  his  own  behalf 
a  nuzzur  of  101  gold  mohurs,  which  was  touched  and  remitted. 
The  eight  Ameers  who  had  been  previously  presented  were  intro- 
duced by  Major  Sartorius,  and  offered  the  usual  nuzzurs,  which 
were  touched  and  remitted.  A  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was 
given  to  the  deputation  as  representative  of  the  Nizam,  who  is 
entitled  to  that  number,  and  not  to  Sir  Salar  Jung,  who  is  per- 
sonally only  an  Excellency.  The  Minister  retired  with  his 
Sirdars,  who  were  much  more  splendid  than  their  leader,  and 
who  did  not  wear  a  very  contented  aspect  for  reasons  unknown 
to  us. 

After  him  came  Keshree  Singjee,  the  Maharaja  of  Edur,  a 
fifteen-gun  Prince,  a  handsome,  soft-faced,  voluptuous  looking 
youth,  who  was  more  at  his  ease  than  any  of  his  fellows.  His 
father  was  a  K.C.S.I.,  and  Member  of  the  Legislative  Council 
of  Bombay,  and  the  Prince  is  a  minor,  and  is  receiving  his  educa- 
tion from  a  tutor  appointed  by  the  Director  of  Public  Instruction. 
His  State,  which  has  a  population  of  only  220,000,  is  scarcely 
defined  as  to  its  boundaries,  but  is  accurately  measured  as  to  rev- 
enues, of  which  the  net  amount  is  25,0007.  a  year.  The  Prince 
advanced  only  three  paces  to  meet  him,  and  led  him  for  so  many 
when  he  was  leaving,  but  the  Chief  went  away  in  excellent  humor 
and  full  of  smiles,  followed  by  his  six  chief  Sirdars  in  very  fine 


MEER   ALI    MORAD.  133 

dresses.  He  congratulated  the  Prince  on  his  birthday,  and 
hoped  for  the  honor  of  a  visit  from  him  at  Edur. 

Next  came  Sir  Charles  Napier's  old  friend,  Meer  Ali  Morad, 
of  Khyrpoor,  in  quaint  Sinclian  head-dress,  with  a  dyed  beard, 
who  talked  to  the  Prince  of  his  shooting  days  with  the  most  per 
feet  frankness,  and  expressed  his  regret  that  he  could  not  show 
him  some  sport  in  the  way  a  M.F.H.  would  lament  a  hard  frost  to 
a  winter  visitor  ;  but  he  was  not  entitled  to  even  one  step  in 
advance,  and  was  received  by  the  Prince  standing  fast  before  the 
throne.  However,  he  received  his  uttur  and  pan  from  the  Royal 
hands.  Though  he  is  only  sixty-one,  he  seems  very  old,  and  he 
retains  his  cheerfulness  under  rather  trying  circumstances.  It  is 
of  not  much  benefit  to  revert  to  the  very  doubtful  circumstances 
under  which  he  was  made  Rais  after  Sind  was  annexed,  but  for 
him  it  is  enough  that  he  was  deprived  of  the  title  and  of  most  of 
his  land  in  1850,  because  he  claimed  more  than  he  was  entitled 
to,  and  that  he  was  left  only  what  his  father  bequeathed  him.  He 
is  very  poor  and  very  proud,  and  has  very  little  power  or  influence, 
but  he  is  considered  by  sporting  men  "  not  a  bad  sort  of  fellow," 
and  he  made  a  very  favorable  impression.  His  Beloochee  Sir- 
dars were  of  the  fiercest  and  finest-looking  we  have  yet  seen. 
When  he  left  it  was  a  little  after  noon,  and  if  the  Prince  was  not 
tired  of  the  standing  up  and  sitting  down  in  that  heated  room, 
some  of  his  suite  certainly  were.  However,  there  was  no  respite 
save  for  a  minute  or  two,  when  the  Prince  walked  into  the  outer 
hall  and  looked  out  from  the  veranda  on  the  Park  outside,  which 
was  filled  with  the  people  in  attendance  on  the  visitors.  There 
was  still  much  to  be  done. 

After  these  great  personages  had  been  received  and  dismissed? 
their  Highnesses,  the  Nawab  of  Joonagurh,  the  Jam  of  Nowa- 
nuggur,  the  Thakoor  Sahib  of  Bhownuggur,  the  Raj  -  Sahib  of 
Dhrangdra,  the  Raja  of  Rajpeepla,  the  Dewan  of  Palanpoor, 
and  the  Nawab  of  Radhanpoor,  were  received  in  private  audi- 
ence, a  very  interesting  group  of  picturesque  personages,  mostly 
in  bare  feet  and  fine  turbans — of  whom  there  are  probably  few 
persons  in  or  out  of  India  who  have  heard  anything,  even  the 


134  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

names,  unless  the  officials  immediately  charged  with  the  admin- 
istration of  the  India  House  and  Foreign  Office. 

The  Nawab  of  Joonaguhr  comes  of  a  race  of  soldiers,  the 
first  of  which  known  to  Indian  history  seized  on  the  district  of 
Torith,  from  the  capital  of  which  the  Chief  takes  his  title  seven 
generations  back.  He  pays  out  of  his  revenue  of  600,000  rupees 
a  sum  of  28,394  rupees  to  the  British  and  a  sum  of  36,413  rupees 
to  the  Baroda  government.  The  Jam  of  Nowanuggur  enjoys 
revenues  of  600,000  rupees,  of  which  50,312  rs.  go  to  the  British 
government,  64,183  rs.  to  the  Baroda  government,  and  4893  rs. 
to  the  Nawab  of  Joonagurh.  He  is  the  head  of  the  Jahrejah 
Rajpoots,  and  his  ancestors,  coming  from  Kutch,  established 
their  rule  in  1542  by  force  of  arms  ;  and  one  of  them  made  an 
attempt  to  shake  off  the  authority  of  the  British  government  in 
1811,  but  was  quite  unsuccessful.  The  Thakoor  Sahib  boasts  a 
pedigree  of  nearly  nine  centuries,  and  now  rules  a  prosperous 
little  State  with  a  revenue  of  800,000  rupees  of  which  he  pays, 
130,000  rupees  annually  as  tribute  to  the  British  Government. 
Dhrangdra  is  a  small  State,  but  its  Chief,  a  Raj  Sahib,  is  head 
of  the  Jhulla  Rajpoots.  He  has  160,000  rupees  a  year,  of  which 
he  gives  40,000  rs.  as  tribute.  The  Rajpeepla  Chief  seemed  to  be 
under  the  influence  of  considerable  excitement,  as  though  he  were 
angered  by  something,  and  exhibited  some  temper  when  one  of 
the  officials  placed  his  hand  on  his  shoulder  to  direct  him  to  his 
place  —  a  most  vivacious,  bright-eyed,  sprightly  man  who  was 
evidently  anxious  that  his  little  son  should  be  noticed,  and  was 
immensely  pleased  when  Sir  Bartle  Frere  spoke  to  him  and  said 
a  few  words  to  the  boy  on  leaving.  He  comes  of  a  Rajpoot  race, 
which  maintained  its  independence  till  the  time  of  Akbar,  and  he 
still  rules  over  an  area  of  4500  square  miles,  and  enjoys  a  rev- 
enue of  375,000  rupees,  of  which  he  pays  20,000  rupees  annually 
towards  the  maintenance  of  the  Guzerat  Bheel  Corps.  He  pos- 
sesses the  power  of  trying  any  but  British  subjects  for  criminal 
offences.  The  Dewan  of  Palanpoor  belongs  to  an  Afghan  family, 
which  came  to  Bahar  in  the  time  of  Humayoon,  and  became  mas- 
ters of  large  territory,  but  they  were  deprived  of  much  of  their 


REWAH    KANTA    CHIEFS.  135 

possessions,  and  all  that  remains  for  them  now  is  an  area  of 
4384  square  miles,  peopled  by  178,000  people,  and  a  revenue  of 
300,000  rupees,  of  which  he  pays  45,512  to  the  Gaekwar.  Rad- 
hanpoor  is  a  little  district  of  833  miles  square,  with  a  population 
of  46,000  souls,  and  a  revenue  of  250,000  rupees.  It  pays  no 
tribute,  but  it  has  in  lack  of  protection  to  submit  to  black-mail 
from  its  neighbors.  The  Chief  is  descended  from  a  Persian  ad- 
venturer of  Ispahan,  who  carried  his  way  with  his  sword,  and  left 
sons  to  develop  his  fortunes.  One  of  these  became  possessor  of 
a  large  part  of  Guzerat,  but  his  descendants  suffered  the  loss  of 
much  of  it  at  the  hands  of  the  house  of  Baroda.  He  has  power 
to  try  for  criminal  offences. 

At  12.50  P.M.  their  Highnesses  the  Raja  of  Baria,  the  Raja 
of  Loonawara,  the  Nawab  of  Balasinore,  the  Raja  of  Chota 
Oodeypoor,  the  Raja  of  Soonth,  the  Sir  Desai  of  Sawant-Wari, 
the  Raja  of  Dharampoor,  and  the  Nawab  of  Jinjera  successively 
paid  private  visits  to  the  Prince.  The  ceremonies  were  the 
same  as  at  the  preceding  visits,  except  that  on  the  arrival  and 
the  departure  of  the  Raja  of  Baria  and  of  the  Raja  of  Dharam- 
poor a  salute  of  nine  guns  was  fired,  whereas  the  others  had 
eleven  guns  each.  These  Chiefs  generally  belonged  to  Rewa 
Kanta  States.  The  first  of  them  is  a  young  man,  who  is  owner 
rather  than  ruler  of  a  small  territory  of  1600  square  miles,  with 
a  revenue  of  75,000  rupees,  of  which  12,000  rupees  are  paid  to 
our  Government.  The  second  has  a  still  smaller  estate  and  rev- 
enue ;  and  he  must  be  poor  indeed,  for  out  of  less  than  42  oo/. 
per  annum  he  pays  i6oo/.  to  the  British  and  2307.  to  the  Raja  of 
Balasinore,  who  rules  over  400  square  miles,  and  enjoys  its  rev- 
enue of  40,000  rupees,  from  which  11,079  rupees  go  to  the 
British  Government.  These  small  Chiefs  and  the  Ruler  of 
Chota  Oodeypoor  (who  has  an  estate  3000  miles  square,  and  a 
revenue  of  100,000  rupees,  of  which  8770  rupees  go  to  the 
Gaekwar)  belong  to  races  and  families  closely  connected.  But 
the  Raja  of  Soonth,  who  has  only  a  little  estate  of  900  square 
miles,  and  a  revenue  of  22,000  rupees,  claims  descent  from  the 
ancient  Rajas  of  Malwa.  He  is  reduced  to  an  income  of  22oo/. 


136  THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

a  year,  of  which  he  pays  6oo/.  to  the  British  Government.  The 
Sir  Desai  of  Sawant-Wari  is  in  a  protected  condition.  In  1730 
his  ancestor  was  an  ally  of  the  British,  who  were  glad  to  make  a 
treaty  with  him  for  the  plunder  of  the  famous  Angria,  and  to  give 
him  all  the  conquered  territory  except  Gheria  and  Kenneree. 
His  successors  were  piratically  inclined ;  and  our  dealings  with 
the  race  were  not  conducted  with  clean  hands.  The  present 
man  is  an  opium-eater,  and  his  State  (900  square  miles  and 
153,000  people,  with  a  revenue  of  200,000  rupees)  is  managed 
for  him.  Of  the  Dharampoor  Raja  little  is  known,  even  to  Cap- 
tain Malleson,  except  that  he  administers  the  affairs  of  15,000 
people,  whom  he  can  try  for  capital  offences,  and  that  he  has  a 
revenue  of  90,000  rupees,  of  which  6500  are  paid  in  tribute.  The 
Hubshee  Chief,  Nawab  of  Junjeera,  or  Jinjeera,  Ibrahim  Moham- 
med Khan,  did  not  attract  as  much  attention  as  the  singular  history 
of  the  State  he  rules,  the  race  he  represents,  and  the  character 
of  the  man  merited.  The  Nawabship  is  of  very  curious' origin. 
Nearly  400  years  ago  certain  Abyssinians,  who  in  those  days  had 
relations  with  the  Indian  States  on  the  coast,  obtained  permis- 
sion to  land  300  boxes  (the  number  is  suspicious)  of  reputed 
merchandise  on  the  island.  Each  box  contained  a  soldier,  and 
the  living  imports  seized  on  Rajpoori  and  Jinjeera.  The  Abys- 
sinian admirals,  who  administered  the  affairs  of  these  parts  sub- 
sequently, under  the  Ahmednuggur  Kings,  were  elected,  and  were 
styled  Wazeers,  and  an  African  Colony  grew  up  and  waxed  so 
strong,  that  the  Seedee  Futteh  Khan,  their  Chief,  not  only 
defeated  the  Peishwa's  army,  in  1659,  with  great  slaughter,  but 
maintained  his  independence.  Sivajee  in  person  took  Rajpoori 
in  1661  ;  but  was  effectively  held  in  check  by  the  Fort  of  Jinjeera. 
Though  he  conquered  every  other  part  of  Konkan,  Sivajee 
never  could  obtain  possession  of  the  island.  Finally,  the  See- 
dee  Chiefs  acknowledge  the  sovereignty  of  the  Peishwa ;  but 
the  extraordinary  vitality  of  these  Abyssinian  admirals,  and  the 
long-sustained  independence  of  their  State,  are  among  the  curi- 
osities of  history.  Jinjeera  now  contains  only  324  square  miles, 
83,000  people,  and  it  yields  a  revenue  of  330,000  rupees  a  year. 


THE    "  HUnSIIEE.  137 

The  first  time  he  ever  left  his  island  was  when  Cir  Bartle  Frere 
was  Governor.  He  started  with  the  intention  of  visiting  Bombay ; 
but  his  heart  failed  him  when  he  came  in  sight  of  the  harbor,  and 
saw  the  great  mass  of  shipping.  In  fact,  the  Hubshee  Nawab 
was  profoundly  suspicious  of  his  neighbor,  and  obstinately — shall 
I  say  wisely? — refused  to  have  anything  to  say  to  us.  He  would 
not  make  any  treaty,  enter  into  any  arrangement,  nor  acknowl- 
edge any  obligation  ;  he  would  pay  no  tribute,  and  permit  no 
foreigner  to  live  in  his  State.  Naturally,  therefore,  when  there 
was  a  leisure  moment,  the  British  Government  interfered  on  the 
general  ground  of  "  misconduct  and  oppression  ; "  and  although 
they  were  indifferent  to  their  existence  for  more  than  half  a  cen- 
tury, the  Bombay  authorities,  in  1867,  deprived  the  Nawab  of  his 
criminal  jurisdiction.  He  came  to  Bombay  to  pay  his  respects 
of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  in  1870,  and  sought  the  recovery  of 
his  powers,  but  in  vain.  He  had,  perforce,  to  agree  to  do  as  he 
was  bid,  and  now  all  goes  well. 

The  first  sensation  experienced  when  the  last  of  the  dur- 
barees  had  departed  was  naturally  enough  one  of  thankfulness 
that  the  reception  was  over.  Who  does  not  feel  a  sense  of 
relief  when  a  levee  is  at  an  end  ?  And  this  was  a  levee  held 
under  difficult  circumstances.  There  was  yet  much  for  the 
Prince  to  do  ere  his  birthday  could  become  yesterday.  The 
Chiefs  could  go  back  to  their  quarters  and  rest  as  long  as  they 
pleased,  but  there  were  several  functions  yet  for  his  Royal 
Highness.  The  Viceroy  was  received,  and  had  a  long  conversa- 
tion with  the  Prince  before  the  latter  left  Parell  House  on  a 
very  interesting  occasion.  He  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Serapis, 
where  the  crew  were  enjoying  a  dinner  provided  by  the  Prince, 
the  men  of-  the  Osborne,  I  believe,  being  similarly  treated.  There 
was  a  fine  work  of  the  confectioners'  art  ready  in  the  saloon, 
which  the  Prince  cut,  and  his  health  was  drunk  with  much  feel- 
ing. Telegrams  were  exchanged  between  Sandringham  and 
Bombay.  The  passage  of  the  Prince  between  the  shore  and  the 
ships  was,  of  course,  made  with  pomp,  salutes,  and  yards  manned, 
flags,  music,  cheering  ;  and  when  he  landed,  the  city,  which*  hall 


138 


THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES     TOUR. 


been  in  great  excitement  since  yesterday,  was  beginning  to  light 
up,  for  this  was  the  happy  occasion  for  which  the  native  world 
had  been  longing — the  general  illumination  of  the  fleet  and  of 
the  town. 

The  ships  were  so  brightly  illuminated  that  the  great  bay 


THE  BUTTEE  WALLAH. 


seemed  as  if  it  were  filled  with  rows  of  fiery  pyramids, — a  spec- 
tacle that  never  can  be  forgotten.  It  was  a  surprise  even  to 
those  who  passed  through  the  streets  the  night  before.  The 
Prince  of  Wales,  attended  by  the  Viceroy,  the  Governor,  the 


BIRTHDAY   REJOICINGS.  139 

officers  of  State  of  the  Army  and  Navy,  and  the  Chiefs,  drove 
through  the  principal  streets  from  Mazagone  to  Parell,  passing 
by  every  public  building  and  object  of  interest  on  the  way.  The 
sea  that  lapped  the  sweep  of  the  bay  and  all  its  curvings  from 
Malabar  Point  to  Elephanta  was  fringed  with  flame,  and  broke 
on  shores  of  fire.  It  would  be  wearisome  to  repeat  what  met 
the  eye  during  the  progress  of  six  or  seven  miles  from  the  land- 
ing-place to  Parell.  Every  building,  every  foot  of  roadway, 
literally,  of  the  many  miles  between  the  harbor  and  Government 
House  presented  an  aspect  which  none  who  have  not  seen  an 
Indian  illumination  can  imagine,  so  great  is  the  beautiful  effect 
of  the  soft  light  of  the  buttee,  or  the  oil-lamp,  a  small  saucer  of 
leaked  clay,  with  a  piece  of  cotton-wick.  Not  only  were  there 
millions  of  buttees,  but  colored  glass  was  plentifully  employed 
along  the  triumphal  arches  in  front  of  the  houses,  and  in  many 
inscriptions.  The  lamps  were  fed  incessantly  by  men  and 
women  laden  with  cans  of  oil.  The  wonder  was  that  the  whole 
town  and  its  inhabitants  were  not  in  a  blaze.  There  was  an 
inconvenience,  notwithstanding  the  beautiful  effect  of  the  light, 
in  that  there  arose  a  dense  smoke,  which  was  caught  in  the  far 
vista,  giving  a  faint  ghostly  outline  to  the  figures  in  the  perspec- 
tive. It  would  be  quite  impossible  to  enumerate  the  public 
buildings,  or  rather  to  select  any  for  particular  mention  ;  nor 
would  it  now  be  of  interest  to  endeavor  to  revive  this  forgotten 
glory.  The  inscriptions  were  monotonous,  and  rarely  deviated 
from  the  stereotyped  "  Welcomes  ; "  though  now  and  then  one 
came  upon  an  exceptional  expression,  such  as  "  Tell  Mamma 
we're  happy," — "  Welcome  thee,  our  future  Emperor," — "  Wel- 
come our  future  father  and  King,"  and  the  like.  It  was  a  very 
fine  sight.  A  State  banquet  of  a  grander  character  even  than 
that  of  yesterday  was  given  by  the  Governor  in  honor  of  the 
Prince's  birthday ;  but  that  did  not  conclude  the  labors  of  the 
day,  for  a  reception,  attended  by  many  of  the  Native  Chiefs,  in 
addition  to  the  elite  of  the  European  community,  followed,  and 
the  festivity  was  not  brought  to  a  close  till  late  at  night. 

"  It  has  long  been  my  earnest  wish,"  the  Prince  of  Wales 


140  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

said,  in  returning  thanks  for  his  health,  which  was  proposed  by 
the  Governor,  "  to  visit  India  ;  and,  now  that  my  desire  has 
been  gratified,  I  can  only  say,  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse,  how  much 
pleased  I  am  to  have  spent  my  thirty-fourth  birthday  under  your 
roof  in  Bombay.  I  shall  remember  with  satisfaction  the  hospit- 
able reception  I  have  had  from  the  Governor  and  all  here  as 
long  as  I  live,  and  I  believe  that  I  may  regard  what  I  have  ex- 
perienced in  Bombay  as  a  guarantee  of  the  future  of  my  pro- 
gress' through  this  great  Empire,  which  forms  so  important  a 
part  of  the  dominions  of  the  Queen."  These  few  words,  de- 
livered with  conviction  and  feeling,  had  a  great  effect,  and  they 
were  prophetic  and  true  to  a  degree  which  few  could  have 
guessed  or  dared  to  anticipate. 

It  was  indeed  difficult  to  believe  that  any  city  could  offer  a 
more  brilliant  and  enthusiastic  welcome  than  Bombay,  or  display 
spectacles  more  curious  and  diversified  than  those  which  the 
Prince  had  witnessed  here.  Owing  to  its  natural  advantages, 
beautiful  harbor  and  scenery,  diversity  of  races,  presence  of 
important  Chiefs  and  interesting  personages,  and  to  its  being 
the  means  of  giving  the  first  impression  of  India,  Bombay  en- 
joyed the  greatest  opportunities,  and  made  the  most  of 
them  ;  but  it  was  almost  too  much  to  expect  that  the  whole  of 
the  Royal  progress  would  have  been  attended  with  similar 
success. 

November  10. — The  Governor-General  sets  out  to-day  on  a 
tour,  and  when  he  takes  leave  of  the  Prince  will  see  him  no  more 
till  he  receives  his  Royal  Highness  as  his  guest  in  Government 
House,  Calcutta.  The  '*  act  of  respect  "  has  been  performed, 
and  having  welcomed  the  Prince  to  India,  Lord  Northbrook  de- 
parts with  his  Staff  and  his  Body-Guard,  and  exhibits  his  state  to 
the  Chiefs  of  Rajpootana,  and  to  places  seldom  if  ever  visited 
by  his  predecessors.  Whilst  the  Prince  is  engaged  in  a  sedulous 
execution  of  the  programmes  prepared  for  Bombay,  the  official 
intelligence  of  the  spread  of  cholera  near  the  Annamally  Hills 
renders  it  very  doubtful,  however,  if  the  shooting  excursion  in 
Southern  India  will  be  practicable  ;  and  in  that  case  the  fes- 


THE    "  THAKOORS.  14! 

tivities  at  Ootacamund,  Bangalore,  £c.,  and  interesting  visits  to 
Seringapatam  and  Mysore  will  take  place.  Colonel  Michael, 
who  was  charged  with  the  arrangements,  and  who  is  quartered 
in  camp  here,  still  hopes  that  the  disease  will  die  out,  or  that 
the  reports  will  turn  out  to  be  exaggerated.  The  heat  seems  to 
increase  instead  of  diminishing  ;  and  there  is  a  very  long  pro- 
gramme for  to-day,  beginning  with  a  reception  of  what  the 
Americans  would  call  the  "balance  "  of  the  Rajas  and  Nowabs, 
&c.,  that  will  endure  for  four  hours — viz.,  from  10  A.M.  till  2  P.M. 
It  will  have  been  seen  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  monotony  in 
these  receptions,  and  the  results  can  scarcely  come  up  to  the 
expectations  of  men  who  have  been  looking  forward  so  anxiously 
to  these  few  days  as  the  event  of  their  lives,  and  who  find  it  is 
all  but  a  few  words  uttur  and  pan,  and  good-by.  The  sums 
they  pay  for  their  houses,  which  have  been  hired  for  the  occa- 
sions, are  exorbitant.  Many  of  them  cannot  recover  the  outlay 
for  years  to  come,  and  the  cost  has  been  increased  by  the  great 
bands  of  retainers  and  of  the  followers  whom  each  Chief  has 
brought  with  him  to  clo  honor  to  the  Shahzadah.  After  break- 
fast the  last  series  of  visits  began. 

When  the  Prince  had  taken  his  place  before  the  Chair  of  State 
once  more,  and  all  things  had  been  rightly  ordered,  the  minor 
Chiefs,  who  had  been  fast  assembling,  were  marshalled  one  by 
one  in  the  outer  rooms  to  be  presented  to  his  Royal  Highness. 
First  came  seven  Chiefs  of  Kattywar,  of  the  second  class,  whose 
distinctive  title  is  "  Thakoor  Sahib."  There  were  a  certain  num- 
ber of  retainers  allowed  to  each,  but  these  were  not  presented  ; 
and  although  the  Chiefs  are  allowed  to  visit  the  Viceroy,  they  are 
not  entitled  to  return  visits  from  him.  Each  Thakoor  was  led 
by  one  of  the  Staff  to  the  threshold  of  the  Audience  Chamber, 
where  he  was  received  by  Major  Henderson  or  Major  Sartorius, 
who,  taking  him  by  one  hand,  walked  slowly  up  to  the  Prince 
and  announced  the  Thakoor 's  name.  The  Thakoor  made  obei- 
sance, the  Prince  bowed,  and  then  the  Chief  was  pointed  out 
his  chair  on  the  right  of  the  Prince  ;  his  followers  took  their 
seats  in  the  chairs  behind  him,  and  then  the  Chiefs  retired  in 


142  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

due  order,  followed  by  their  retainers  and  salaaming  to  the 
Prince. 

This  formula  was  followed  very  closely,  and  it  was  repeated, 
mutatis  mutandis,  in  the  case  of  the  other  Chiefs  of  equal  rank. 
It  will  be  seen  that  to  the  Rajas  and  Nawabs  of  lower  degree 
there  was  not  accorded  the  trying  favor  of  a  personal  reception 
outside  the  Government  House  by  a  member  of  the  Royal  suite, 
The  higher  honor — which  means  that  when  one  officer  of  the 
suite  had  had  quite  enough  of  trotting  as  hard  as  he  could  500 
yards  up  and  down  in  the  sun,  he  was  relieved  by  another,  and 
that  when  one  equerry  or  aide-de-camp  had  done  his  share  of  the 
receptions  of  Chiefs,  another  took  his  place — is  greatly  prized. 

The  "  conducting  "  of  the  Chiefs  to  the  presence  was  a  curious 
ceremony.  The  political  Officer  took  the  right  or  left  hand  of 
the  conductee  in  his  own  left  or  right  hand?  and  thus  led  him  to  the 
presence  as  if  he  were  in  some  sort  of  custody  ;  and  the  appear- 
ance was  at  times  intensified  by  the  attitude  of  another  officer  on 
the  other  side  of  the  honored  person. 

The  first  who  came,  the  Thakoor  Sahib  of  Morvee,  who  is 
owner  of  125  villages,  with  a  population  of  91,000  people,  a  reve- 
nue of  65,ooo/.  a  year,  and  pays  a  tribute  of  4ooo/.  Next,  though 
his  revenue  is  only  12,5007.,  out  of  which  he  pays-  i2oo/.  to 
Government,  came  the  Thakoor  Sahib  of  Wankaneer.  The 
Thakoor  of  Palitana,  a  Rajpoot,  aged  thirty-one,  whose  State 
contains  a  population  of  52,000,  and  whose  city  is  in  high  repute 
among  Rajpoot  pilgrims,  was  next.  Another  Rajpoot  —  the 
Thakoor  Sahib  of  Derole — followed  :  a  poor  man,  with  State  of 
sixty-one  villages,  a  population  of  18,500,  and  a  gross  revenue  of 
I5,ooo7.  a  year.1  After  him  came  the  Thakoor  of  Limree,  a  mi- 
nor, pupil  at  the  Rajcoomar  College,  whose  revenue  is  estimated 
at  2i,ooo/.  a  year.  Then  came  the  Thakoor  Sahib  of  Wadhwan, 
Rajah  of  Rajeer,  also  a  minor,  and  pupil  at  the  Rajcoomar  Col- 
lege, who  draws  35,0007.  a  year  from  his  villages,  pays  32507. 
to  the  British  Government,  and  62307.  to  the  Nawab  of  Junagarh. 
These  Chiefs  exercise  legal  jurisdiction  in  the  Kattywar  Courts 
— the  first  five  for  capital  offences,  unless  the  accused  are  British 


THE   LEVEE.  143 

subjects;  the  latter  having  power  over  their  own  people  only. 
Next,  at  12.20  P.M.,  six  Sirdars  of  Sattara,  the  Deccan,  and  Kon- 
kan,  who  do  not  possess  the  power  of  life  and  death,  but  who 
belong  to  families  of  the  most  extraordinary  antiquity,  were  re- 
ceived. The  first  was  the  Swamee  of  Chafool,  but  he  was  by  no 
means  the  first  in  point  of  birth  ;  for  the  Punt  Prithinidee  of 
Aond,  who  was  presented  after  him,  boasts  of  title  higher  than 
the  Peishwa's  own,  and  still  holds  part  of  the  lands  his  fathers 
held  from  Sivajee.  Punt  Sucheo  of  Bhore,  who  has  a  jagheer 
of  500  square  miles,  came  next ;  then  the  Chief  of  Phultun  (400 
square  miles),  the  Chief  of  Vinchoor,  C.S.I.,  and  the  Raja  of 
Jowah.  When  these  were  dismissed,  which  was  done  in  ten 
minutes,  there  was  still  a  third  body  of  Chiefs  to  be  presented  to 
the  Prince,  These  were  the  Raja  of  Moodhole  ;  the  Chiefs  of 
Sanglee,  of  Meeruj,  senior  and  junior ;  the  Chiefs  of  Koorund- 
war  and  of  Ramdroog.  The  Raja  of  Jowah  and  the  junior 
Chief  of  Sanglee  would  have  made  a  sensation  anywhere. 
These  three  gatherings  of  native  gentlemen  were  all  disposed  of 
in  half  an  hour  or  so,  and  they  departed  in  a  great  crowd  from 
Parell — somewhat  dazed,  perhaps,  at  the  suddenness  of  their 
dismissal,  which  was,  however,  no  doubt  in  accordance  with  the 
programme.  In  raiment  and  face  and  figure  these  men  were  vari- 
ous— some  were  laden  with  jewels,  some  were  plainly  clad,  but 
as  each  sat  sword  in  hand  he  looked  a  gentleman — better  sitting, 
awkward  as  it  is,  than  walking  in  the  horrid  restraint  of  patent 
leather  shoes  or  bottines.  Their  behavior  was  admirable — no 
staring  or  pushing,  no  curious  gestures  or  expressions  of  surprise, 
but  perfect  self-possession  and  repose. 

Hitherto  the  opportunities  of  appreciating  the  force  of  the 
sun  not  in  the  shade  have  not  been  many,  but  the  drive  to  Bom- 
bay this  afternoon  amply  atoned  for  want  of  experience  of  that 
sort.  The  Prince,  accompanied  by  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse,  left 
Pcrcll,  with  all  the  usual  honors  of  guard,  band,  colors,  and  salute, 
at  a  quarter  past  3,  escorted  by  a  body  of  the  3d  Hussars.  Al- 
though this  is  the  cold  season,  the  sun  was  intensely  hot,  and  the 
smallest  protection — such  as  a  shady  piece  of  road — was  eagerly 


144  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

welcomed.  There  were  many  thousands  Of  people  along  the 
route,  but  the  myriads  of  thousands  had  disappeared.  Some 
time  after  4,  the  Prince  alighted  at  the  Secretariat,  an  enormous 
pile  of  buildings,  not  unsightly  or  incommodious,  where  the  chief 
clerks  of  the  Government,  who  rejoice  in  the  title  of  under  or 
assistant  "  Secretary,"  carry  on  their  business.  Here  he  was 
received  by  the  Chief  Justice  and  Commander-in-Chief,  the 
Members  of  the  Council,  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief of  Her  Majesty's  naval  forces  in  India  (I  take 
the  order  from  the  official  programme),  and  was  attended  to  the 
Presence  Room.  Having  taken  his  place  on  an  elevated  dais  in 
a  large  room,  honored  by  that  style  and  dignity,  line  was  formed 
by  the  suite,  the  door  was  thrown  open  and  the  levee  commenced. 
It  may  be  an  excellent  institution  in  Europe,  but  in  Bombay,  in 
a  temperature  approaching  that  of  the  dog-days,  it  is  certainly 
one  of  the  least  agreeable  ceremonies  that  can  be,  whether  for 
Europeans  or  natives.  To  the  ideas  of  the  latter,  I  should  think 
it  utterly  repugnant.  The  former  were  naturally  desirous  of  paying 
their  respects  to  the  Prince,  although  the  utmost  notice  he  could 
bestow  upon  them  was  a  bow  as  their  names  were  announced, 
and  they  passed  into  the  great  crowd  beyond  as  rapidly  as 
circumstances  would  permit.  As  to  the  native  gentlemen,  some 
of  them  appeared  so  utterly  astonished  and  unhinged  by  the  pro- 
ceeding as  to  lose  all  power  of  locomotion  ;  so  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  seduce  them  gently  away  from  the  Royal  presence,  or  oc- 
casionally, indeed,  to  direct  their  uncertain  steps  with  more  vigor 
than  politeness.  The  naval  officers  and  those  of  the  army  with 
whom  the  Prince  was  personally  acquainted  were  honored  by  a 
shake  of  the  hand  ;  but  when  it  is  considered  that  the  persons 
who  attended  came  in  thousands,  and  that  for  each  of  them  there 
was  a  bow,  it  may  be  imagined  what  the  effort  of  standing  in  a 
smothering  atmosphere  for  more  than  one  mortal  hour,  and 
making  at  least  two  thousand  bows  in  the  time,  must  have  been. 
The  doors  were  peremptorily  closed  at  5  o'clock,  and  many  were 
left  outside,  too  late  to  have  the  pleasure  for  which  they  so  much 
longed.  However,  at  last,  the  levee  was  brought  to  an  end. 


THE    CHILDREN  S    FETE.  145 

A  much  more  pleasing  ceremonial  followed,  although  it  was  not 
without  its  share  of  toil — the  Children's  Fete — which  was  held 
upon  an  open  space  near  the  harbor,  and  afforded  a  very  pretty 
spectacle.  Boys  and  girls  of  all  castes,  classes,  and  creeds, 
dressed  in  the  most  brilliant  colors,  were  collected  to  the  number 
of  7000  under  their  various  teachers,  with  banners  flying,  and  in- 
signia denoting  the  schools  to  which  they  belonged,  driving  one 
again  for  comparison  to  the  oft-used  image  of  wide-spread  banks 
of  flowers  in  full  bloom ;  and  these  were  in  full  bloom,  if  not 
with  ruddy  cheeks,  at  least  with  that  peculiar  light  and  glow 
which  indicate  youth  and  health  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  an 
intensity  of  black  eye  which,  except  in  Spain  and  Italy,  is  not 
seen  out  of  India.  The  Parsees  were  remarkable  for  the  rich- 
ness of  their  dresses,  and  for  the  startling  effects  of  color  which 
they  exhibited,  and  as  the  Prince,  almost  with  difficulty,  made 
his  way  up  to  the  elevated  stand  where  he  was  to  hear  the  song 
in  his  honor,  and  to  present  himself  to  the  little  multitude,  the 
cries,  the  cheers,  and  hurrahs,  which  arose  indicated  the  posses- 
sion of  excellent  lungs.  Finally,  he  was  almost  smothered  in 
garlands  and  wreaths  of  flowers.  The  heat  of  the  weather,  al- 
though it  is  excused  by  the  residents  of  Bombay  on  the  ground 
that  it  is  quite  uncommon,  is  not  the  less  unpleasant,  and  there 
are  some  people  inclined  to  think  'that  it  is  always  at  least  as  hot 
here  as  it  is  now.  The  excursion  to  Poonah,  which  is  fixed  for  to- 
morrow, is  regarded  with  pleasure,  although  it  is  said  we  must 
not  expect  any  diminution  of  the  heat. 

The  greatest  honor  which  can  be  done  to  the  Native  Chiefs 
is  to  increase  the  number  of  guns  to  which  they  are  entitled,  and 
to  place  them  high  on  the  list  of  those  entitled  to  visit  and  to 
receive  visits  from  the  Viceroy.  The  rules  which  applied  in  the 
case  of  the  latter  were  held  to  regulate  the  interviews  of  the 
Prince  and  the  Chiefs.  This  evening,  therefore,  was  fixed  for 
the  return  visits  of  his  Royal  Highness,  which  began  after  the 
inspection  of  the  children.  It  was  not  the  less  trying  because 
it  was  necessary  to  defer  the  ceremony  so  late  in  the  day. 

The  first  visit  was  made  to  the  Maharaja  of  Kolhapoor,  four 
7  10 


146  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

of  whose  principal  officers  escorted  the  Prince  from  the  Esplan- 
ade, near  the  Secretariat,  at  6  o'clock.  The  Chief's  residence, 
hired  for  the  occasion,  was  some  distance  from  the  fort.  The 
crowds  of  natives  in  the  streets,  augmenting  in  density  as  the 
procession  reached  the  place  where  guards  of  honor,  artillery, 
triumphal  arches,  illuminated  gardens,  and  a  bungalow  of  great 
size,  as  light  as  day,  indicated  that  the  Prince  might  be  expected, 
were  interested  to  the  utmost,  especially  the  Hindoos,  who  took 
it  as  a  compliment  to  themselves  that  the  Shahzadah  was  about 
to  honor  one  whose  lineage  they  so  much  respect.  The  Sirdars 
of  Kolhapoor,  surrounding  their  Raja,  were  arranged  outside 
the  house.  In  the  court  before  the  door  the  Native  forces  of  the 
State  were  represented  by  some  very  picturesque  cavalry  and 
footmen.  The  hall  was  full  of  retainers,  and  the  staircases  were 
lined  by  warriors  and  servitors  armed  to  the  teeth.  As  to  the 
tumult  of  music  and  cannon,  the  drumming  and  flourishing  of 
trumpets  and  instruments  of  vocal  torture,  which  arose  when 
the  Prince,  descending  from  his  carriage,  was  received  by  the 
Raja  and  led  up  stairs  to  the  Divan,  it  must  have  been  heard  to 
have  been  appreciated.  I  say  not  this  exclusively  of  the  Kolha- 
poor reception,  but  of  all.  It  was  a  busy  time  for  the  officers 
and  men,  and  for  the  bands  of  the  regiments,  and  for  the  artil- 
lery, for  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  guard  of  honor,  "  God  save 
the  Queen,"  and  a  Royal  salute  wherever  the  Prince  was  received. 
The  State  apartment  was  very  richly  decorated,  and  was  not 
wanting  in  chandeliers,  colored  prints,  and  mirrors.  The  Prince 
and  the  Raja,  hand  in  hand,  advanced  between  the  lines  of  seats 
arranged  at  each  side  of  the  room,  and  sat  down  in  chairs  at  the 
end.  The  Sirdars  sat  on  the  left,  the  English  on  the  right,  and, 
after  a  pause,  there  was  a  conversation  of  which  only  a  few  words 
were  audible.  The  Prince  expressed  the  pleasure  he  had  in 
meeting  with  a  Chief  with  whom  it  was  possible  to  converse.  He 
was  aware,  he  said,  that  the  late  Raja  had  died  at  Florence, 
on  his  way  to  England.  He  much  regretted  the  occurrence  ; 
but  he  trusted  that  it  would  not  prevent  the  Raja  from  visiting 
him  some  day,  and  he  would  be  always  glad  to  hear  of  the  pro- 


THE    MAHARAJA    OF    OODEYPOOR.  147 

gress  made  in  his  education.  When  this  interview  was  proceed- 
ing, the  presents  were  being  laid  out  in  an  adjoining  room. 
Then  came  a  presentation  of  all  the  Native  officers  to  the  Prince 
by  the  Political  Officer  on  duty,  each  of  whom  presented  his 
nuzzur,  which  was  "  touched  and  remitted."  Then  the  Maharaja 
gave  the  Prince  utter  and  pan,  conducted  him  to  his  carriage, 
which  was  met  outside  by  a  deputation  of  the  Sirdars  of  Oodey- 
poor.  Then  another  drive  through  suburbs  crowded  and  under 
illuminated  arches  to  the  residence  of  the  young  Chief,  who  had 
an  enormous  establishment  of  armed  retainers  and  troops,  horse 
and  foot,  drawn  up  in  his  court-yard,  in  addition  to  the  British 
guard  of  honor,  band,  and  colors,  and  to  the  artillery.  "  God 
save  the  Queen  : "  Royal  salute  ;  the  same  ceremonial  exchange 
of  speeches  and  presents.  The  Prince  pleased  and  flattered  the 
Maharana  greatly,  it  would  seem,  by  the  simple  remark  that  he 
had  heard  of  the  great  antiquity  of  his  house,  and  had  read  in 
history  of  the  gallant  deeds  of  his  ancestors.  He  regretted  that 
his  limited  stay  in  India  would  prevent  his  visiting  the  capital  of 
such  a  distinguished  and  ancient  race,  which  he  had  heard  was 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful  in  India.  As  the 
Maharana  was  going  back  to  his  capital  in  order  to  meet  the 
Viceroy,  who  was  setting  out  on  a  tour  to  Rajpootana  and  the 
Central  Provinces,  the  prince  expressed  a  hope  that  he  would 
not  remain  unnecessarily  in  Bombay  on  his  account.  The  gar- 
land with  which  each  visitor  is  wreathed  differs  in  form  and 
fashion  at  each  Chief's,  and  the  splendor  of  the  appointments  is 
not  always  equal.  The  rush  to  get  out  of  and  into  the  carriages 
so  as  to  be  in  time,  perhaps  was  the  least  dignified  part  of  the 
proceedings,  for  Orientals  consider  running  almost  as  discredit- 
able as  dancing.  The  tumult  on  arrival  and  departure  was 
deafening — cannon,  music,  words  of  command,  horses  neighing, 
steel  clattering,  Natives  and  Europeans  cheering.  The  next 
visit  was  to  the  Gaekwar.  It  was  past  7  o'clock  before  the 
Prince  could  get  out  to  the  residence  which  had  been  hired  for 
his  Highness  near  Malabar  Hill.  First  and  foremost  four  of  the 
chief  Sirdars  of  Baroda  came  to  the  gate  of  the  residence  of  the 


14$  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

Maharana  of  Oodeypoor  to  escort  the  Prince  to  that  of  the 
Gaekwar.  The  latter  met  the  Prince  at  the  step,  and  conducted 
him  up  stairs  to  a  seat  in  a  long  room  lighted  most  brilliantly. 
Chairs  were  placed  for  the  Sirdars  on  one  side,  and  for  the  suite 
on  the  other,  and  when  the  Durbar  was.  set,  the  sight  was  very 
fine,  for  the  Court  of  Baroda  is  still  magnificent.  It  is  hard  to 
find  small-talk  for  a  little  boy  like  the  Gaekwar,  but  the  Prince 
charmed  him  by  speaking  of  illuminations  and  horsemanship. 
The  Prince  is  very  fond  of  riding,  and  his  Royal  Highness  en- 
couraged him  to  persist  in  it.  As  he  was  in  the  carriage  which 
came  immediately  behind  the  Prince's,  he  could  see  the  illumina- 
tions to  perfection,  and  he  expressed  his  pleasure  with  childish 
freedom  ;  but  he  did  not  seem  quite  so  cheerful  \vhen  the  Prince 
alluded  to  his  studies,  and  said  he  would  watch  over  his  career 
with  interest,  and  hoped  he  would  pay  especial  attention  to 
English,  which  he  would  find  so  useful.  He  enjoined  him  not 
to  neglect  his  writing.  Time  was  pressing.  The  Prince  before 
leaving,  however,  had  an  interview  with  Jumnabaae,  who  maybe 
called  the  "  Queen-Mother,"  and  then  drove  off,  followed  by  the 
Baroda  Sirdars,  back  to  Parell. 

When  the  Prince  of  Wales  returned  the  visits  of  the  Chiefs 
at  their  own  residences,  all  the  restraint  and  silence,  which  had 
been  so  remarkable  elsewhere,  vanished.  There  were,  to  be  sure, 
the  same  formalities  all  duly  prescribed  in  printed  circulars,  but 
the  Prince  spoke  unreservedly,  and  the  effect  was  magical. 

And  there  it  was  just  as  much  as  one  could  do  to  get  to  the 
tent,  and  rub  off  the  smut  and  black  of  illumination  and  flaring 
torches  in  a  welcome  bath,  hand  over  garments  covered  with  oil 
spots — once  a  shower  of  the  unctuous  rain  was  let  fall  from  a 
triumphal  arch  on  the  State  carriage  and  its  occupants,  owing 
to  a  jar  given  to  the  frail  edifice  by  the  wheel — appear  in  dinner- 
dress,  and  run  up  to  the  House  in  order  to  get  to  one's  place 
before  the  Prince  and  the  Governor  led  the  way  to  the  Banquet- 
ing Hall.  When  dinner  was  over,  there  was  a  movement  to  get 
ready  for  the  Grand  Ball  given  by  the  Byculla  Club,  of  which  all 
European  Bombay,  and  many  miles  beyond,  had  been  talking 


THE   RETURN   VISITS.  149 

thinking,  and  dreaming  for  many  weeks  ;  but  it  was  not  until  late 
when  we  arrived  at  the  Club  House,  which  we  found  gayly  dec- 
orated, and  the  ballroom  a  scene  of  great  brilliancy.  An 
incident  of  our  return  to  Parell,  which  I  must  not  omit  to  record, 
was  the  accompaniment,  as  a  guard  of  honor,  of  a  native 
Highland  regiment.  The  corps  was  the  creation  of  a  former 
Gaekwar,  who  succeeded  in  procuring  all  the  materials  for  High- 
landers except  the  men.  He  could  not  help  Indians  having 
brown  skins  ;  and  no  matter  how  a  real  Highlander's  legs  may 
be  burnt  by  the  sun,  they  cannot  assume  the  Oriental  bronze. 
The  "Highlanders,"  about  300  strong,  came  marching  up 
gayly  to  the  strains  of  their  own  bagpipes,  which  were  just 
as  musical  as  though  they  were  tuned  by  Alister  MacAlister 
himself,  and  drew  up  in  a  line  outside  the  entrance  to  Pa- 
rell. They  wore  what  seemed  to  me  the  clothing  of  a  High- 
land regiment.  Probably  their  coats  might  have  been  new 
when  purchased,  but  certainly  they  were  not  made  for  them.  In 
coats,  kilts,  bonnets,  and  feathers,  stockings  and  shoes,  they  were 
as  like  Highlanders  as  could  be — quite  as  tall,  or  taller,  if  not 
so  broad  as  the  average  of  Scotch  battalions ;  but  there  was  one 
Startling  innovation  in  the  costume.  Whether  to  imitate  the 
color  of  Briton's  flesh  or  from  motives  of  decency  I  cannot  say, 
but  anyhow,  the  Baroda  Highlanders  wore  pink  calico  breeches, 
which  came  down  below  the  knees,  over  which  their  stockings 
were  drawn  above  the  calf  of  the  leg. 

The  return  visits  of  the  Prince  to  the  Maharaja  of  Edur,  and 
to  Chiefs  of  equal  and  minor  degree  whom  he  had  received,  but 
whom  he  could  not  see  at  their  own  residences,  were  made  at  3 
p  M.  on  the  following  day,  at  the  Secretariat,  in  a  room  set  apart 
for  that  purpose,  each  Chief  being  assigned  an  apartment  which 
was  provided  with  chairs  of  State  and  double  rows  of  seats.  On 
the  Prince  leaving  the  first  Chief,  he  was  met  at  the  door  of  the 
reception-room  by  the  next,  to  whom  he  then  paid  a  short  visit. 

It  did  not  strike  me  that  it  was  either  a  satisfactory  or  be- 
coming arrangement,  and  I  was  not  surprised  to  hear  that  it  had 
caused  annoyance  to  the  Chiefs  when  the  Viceroy  called  on  them 


THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

in  the  same  way,  but  the  honor  of  receiving  the  Prince  was 
some  compensation.  To  the  eye  all  went  well,  and  there  was  a 
pleasant  if  "  warm  "  interchange  of  civilities  ;  in  fact,  the  heat 
in  the  rooms  was  just  on  the  verge  of  being  unbearable.  The 
good  people  of  Bombay  had  been  for  some  time  preparing  a 
dinner  in  honor  of  the  Prince's  visit,  to  the  sailors  of  the  fleet, 
to  which  his  Royal  Highness  proceeded  when  these  return  visits 
were  over,  and  it  was  a  good  idea  well  carried  out  and  thoroughly 
appreciated.  And  to  hear  these  two  thousand  sailors  cheer  when 
they  saw  the  Prince  of  Wales  enter  and  advance  to  the  centre  of 
the  canvas  hall,  all  draped  with  flags,  was  great  comfort  in  itself 
— a  sort  of  marine  assurance  that  there  was,  without  Chauvinism, 
no  want  of  the  old  stuff  which  some  think  thinned  and  worn-out 
by  chafing  innovation  !  No  wonder  the  Prince  wanted  to  see 
them  as  they  saw  him,  and  so  he  called  fora  chair  to  stand  upon, 
and  mounting  the  plank  with  a  glass  in  his  hand  exclaimed, 
"  My  lads !  " — such  a  combination  of  roar  and  laugh  as  broke 
out  at  this  ! — "  My  lads  !  I  am  glad  to  meet  you  all !  I  drink 
your  good  health  and  a  happy  voyage  home  !  "  Well,  it  would 
be  very  difficult  to  say  what  these  two  thousand  men  would  not 
have  tried  to  do  at  the  Prince's  bidding  when  he  spoke  these 
words.  I  am  glad  their  only  task  was  to  keep  quiet  and  get  on 
board,  and  that  they  did  in  most  orderly  fashion — albeit  they 
put  the  wreaths  of  flowers  on  their  necks,  and  ornamented  their 
caps  with  the  little  flags  which  graced  the  table.  There  never 
were  better  behaved  fellows,  not  only  at  the  vast  feast  spread  in 
immense  tents  wherein  tables  had  no  time  to  groan  under  beef, 
pudding  and  beer,  and  had  to  bear  a  good  deal  of  dancing  all 
during  the  festivities,  but  in  the  streets.  Moreover,  on  this  day 
there  was  a  fete  of  great  grandeur,  if  of  excessive  ritual  ;  the 
Prince  laid  the  foundation  stone  of  Elphinstone  Docks  with  Ma- 
sonic honors — not  honors  merely,  but  ceremonies  of  the  most 
orthodox  complication  and  elaborateness.  The  onlv  mistake  lay, 
perhaps,  in  inviting  the  Chiefs  to  come  and  see,  and  placing  them 
where  they  could  not  see  anything.  It  was  a  surprise  to  the 
ignorant  to  see  Parsee,  Mohammedan  and  Hindoo  members  of  the 


UNPLEASANT    NEWS. 

craft,  but  they  were  there  in  considerable  numbers.  There  was 
an  address  and  reply — there  was  a  procession  of  Masons  in  all 
their  glory,  and  then  the  stone  was  laid  amid  great  rejoicing. 
When  that  was  done,  the  Prince  had  to  take  off  his  Masonic 
robes  and  go  through  yet  another  duty  ere  dinner-time.  I  shall 
not  attempt  any  description  of  what  occurred  on  these  occasions, 
although  each  had  distinctive  features — exchanges  of  courtesies, 
presentations,  and  presents,  garlands  and  uttur  and  pan,  pleasant 
speeches,  magnificent  dresses,  and  immense  and  costly  prepara- 
tions. 

The  return  visit  to  the  deputation  under  Sir  Salar  Jung  and 
other  high  officers  from  the  Nizam  of  Hyderabad  was  paid  at 
(.•5  P.M.  The  Nizam's  deputation  attended  the  Prince  to  the 
entrance  of  the  villa  which  had  been  engaged  at  large  cost  for 
the  use  of  the  representatives  of  the  minor — at  present  almost 
an  invalid  under  his  mother's  care.  The  reception  was  one  of 
great  state  and  formality ;  but  the  conversation  was  of  a  friendly 
and  gracious  character.  The  Prince's  demeanor,  under  the 
circumstances,  was  a  matter  of  great  moment  to  these  Sirdars ; 
but  there  was  not  the  least  appearance  of  reserve  on  his  part. 
The  Maharaja  of  Mysore  was  visited  afterwards,  and  the  pro- 
gramme fixed  the  Royal  arrival  at  6.30  P.M.  The  Sirdars  of  the 
Rao  of  Kutch  awaited  the  Prince,  who  paid  a  visit  to  their  Chief 
on  leaving  the  Maharaja.  Another  dinner  and  a  reception  at 
Parell  brought  the  day  to  a  close. 

November  12. — There  is  news  of  something  more  than  the 
average  sickness  in  the  fleet,  and  the  death  of  a  boy  on  board 
the  Serapis  from  cholera  is  reported.  Before  breakfast  the  box- 
wallahs  came  down  in  force  upon  the  camp,  generally  selecting, 
by  a  sort  of  natural  or  trade  intuition,  tents  the  proprietors  of 
which  were  likely  to  be  good  customers.  Ganesh,  Lord  Charles 
Iteresford's  kitmagar  and  factotum,  however,  afforded  him  effi- 
cient protection,  and  gave  some  very  useful  information  respecting 
the  value  of  the  articles  for  sale,  which,  without  that  assistance, 
if  taken  at  anything  like  what  they  were  offered  for,  would  cer- 
tainly have  been  dear.  Some  of  the  customers  entered  into  the 


IS2  *  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

traffic  in  a  novel  spirit,  offering  to  toss  "  double  or  quits  ;  "  and 
after  a  time  the  astute   Bombay  box-wallahs  entered  into  the 
idea,  and  eagerly  accepted  it.     Lord  Carington,  who  had  at  first 
very  fair  success  in  tossing,  "  won  "  a  ring.     The  man  had  asked 
fifty  rupees  for  it ;  Lord  Carington  offered  to  toss  whether  he 
would  give  twenty  or  forty,  or  something  of  the  sort.     He  won, 
and  was  very  much  pleased,  not  so  much  at  the  value  of  the  ring 
as  at  "  doing  the  box-wallah  ;  "  but,  on  inquiry,  he  ascertained 
that  the  ring  might  have  been  purchased,  at  the  very  outside,  for 
two  rupees  in  the  bazaar.     Presents  offered  by  the  Chiefs,  and 
accepted  by  the  Prince,  are  already  pouring  into  Parell  in  great 
quantities.     Groups  of  Native   Police   are  constantly  on  duty, 
watching  porters  carrying  cases  and  boxes,  who  are  followed  by 
the  jealous  officers  of  the  Chiefs,  into  the  rooms  where  they  are 
consigned  to  Mr.  Isaacson,  of  the  India  Office,  who  has  charge 
of  them.     The  Political  Agents   had  informed  the   Government 
of  Bombay  what  presents  would  be  made  and  what  would  be  the 
value  of  them  ;  in  some  instances   apparently  directing,  or   at 
least  advising,  what  the  presents  should  be.    Thus,  one  Political 
Agent  writes  that  he  will   advise  his  Chiefs  when   they  go  to 
Bombay  to  buy  5000  rupees'  worth  of  Surat  manufactures.     An- 
other Agent  is  told  by  the  Government  that  his  Chief  is  not  ex- 
pected to   make   any  present  at  all.      In    other  instances   the 
Agent  states  that  the  Chief  does  not  intend  to   offer  presents. 
In  others,   the  Agent   expresses  "  little    doubt  that  the    Chief 
would   present  a   specimen  of  work  costing"  so    much.     The 
Duke  of  Sutherland  went  off  at  an  early  hour,  to  inspect  the 
various  institutions  of  Bombay,  under  the  guidance  of  Surgeon- 
Major  Hewlett,  and  no  better  could  be. 

The  Prince  was  entertained  in  the  evening  at  a  banquet  in 
the  caves  of  Elephanta,  to  which  invitations  were  necessarily 
limited.  This  was  not  the  first  time  that  these  caves,  of  which 
Heber,  Dr.  Wilson,  Forbes,  and  many  others  of  a  long  list  of 
travellers,  British  and  foreign,  have  given  descriptions,  have 
been  made  the  scene  of  a  Christian  festivity  :  but  the  natives,  it 
is  said,  do  not  regard  such  apparent  desecrations  of  their  holy 


153 

places  with  anything  like  the  feeling  with  which  we  should  see  a 
number  of  Brahmins  indulging  in  the  excesses  of  the  Holee 
festival,  or  Mohammedans  celebrating  the  Mohurrum  inside  West- 
minster Abbey.  The  Brahmins  are,  according  to  one  local 
paper,  men  of  resource,  for  they  told  the  Hindoos  in  Bombay 
that  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  Europeans  went  to  Elephanta 
to  worship  the  Deity  there,  and  to  do  juttra  to  Shiva.  Two 
steamers  conveyed  the  Prince  and  the  favored  guests  of  the 
Governor  from  the  Bay  across  to  the  island,  where  they  were 
landed  at  the  pier,  not  without  difficulty,  for  the* water  is  shallow. 
The  sun  had  set,  and  the  disembarkation  was  effected  by  torch- 
light carried  by  men  wading  up  to  their  middle,  sufficiently 
picturesque  in  themselves,  and  there  were  fires  on  the  beach, 
and  an  illumination — how  often  must  that  word  be  written  ? — to 
guide  the  vessels.  There  is  a  steep  winding  ascent  to  Garipuri 
— "the  City  of  Caves". — for  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  which  was 
lighted  up  by  lamps  suspended  from  a  continuous  framework  of 
bamboos — one  thousand  and  one  steps,  men  said,  to  the  top. 
It  seemed  more  like  ten  thousand,  and  as  we  mounted  "  the 
boldest  held  his  breath  for  a  time,"  now  and  then,  and  the 
coolest  was  very  hot,  nor  did  any  despise  the  halting-places  on 
the  way,  or  disdain  to  look  out  on  the  Bay  where  the  men-of-war 
lay,  tricked  out  with  dotted  lines  of  light  like  strings  of  stars, 
preparing  for  the  great  effect  which  was  to  glorify  the  return  of 
the  Prince.  When  the  visitor  enters  the  excavations,  passing 
through  the  double  row  of  pillars,  which  look  as  though  they 
were  supporting  the  mountain,  or  the  squared  mass  of  it,  here 
chiselled  into  a  grand  portico,  he  sees  the  work  of  men  who 
must  have  been,  as  Mr.  Maclean  remarks,  imbued  with  a  religion 
in  which  there  was  an  element  of  sublime  mystery  and  awful 
grandeur  now  completely  lost  in  practices  which  are  grotesque 
and  contemptible.  But  these  creations,  solid  as  the  rock,  are 
perishing — these  idols  of  stone  are  crumbling  away,  although 
they  are  not,  it  is  believed,  a  thousand  years  old.  Their  stony 
eyes  seemed  to  be  glaring  on  the  great  array  of  tables  covered 
with  cloths  and  plates  and  dishes.  The  faces  of  extraordinary 


154  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

power  and  beauty,  the  gigantic  forms  cut  with  decision  and  bold- 
ness which  challenge  admiration  and  wonder,  may  seem  to  us  to 
violate  the  rules  of  proportion  and  to  indicate  vicious  taste,  but 
it  should  be  remembered  that  they  are  but  the  efforts  of  the 
sculptors  to  convey  their  impressions  of  beings  of  divine  not  of 
human  type — Mahadeva,  the  three-faced  god — the  goddess  with 
a  single  breast,  Paravati,  the  wife  of  Shiva — the  sculptures 
around  the  shrine  of  Linga — all  indicate  struggles  to  express  in 
stone  the  attributes  of  extraordinary  beauty,  power,  strength, 
fecundity. 

I  confess  that  Elephanta  did  not  appear  to  me  a  happy 
choice  for  a  dining-place  per  se,  although  sufficiently  curious  and 
novel.  In  broad  daylight,  when  the  view  over  the  Bay  could  be 
enjoyed  from  the  shelter  of  the  cool  caves,  I  can  fancy  that  the 
island  would  not  be  a  bad  resort  for  a  picnic  party,  provided 
always  they  cleared  away  the  debris  of  their  feast ;  but  when 
the  excavations  are  lighted  up  and  the  feast  spread,  the  glare 
and  heat  of  torches  and  the  smell  of  oil,  combined  with  the 
close  reeking  air,  produce  an  odorous  temperature  by  no  means 
enjoyable  by  any  but  an  Eskimo,  who  would  find  the  combina- 
tion very  agreeable.  The  cooking  or  warming  of  the  dishes 
must  be  effected  inside,  in  chambers  dedicated  by  the  laborious 
contrivers  to  *religious  or  superstitious  use  ;  and  the  vast  halls 
were  filled  with  the  inappropriate  incense  of  chandeliers,  lamps, 
and  candles,  suspended  from  the  roof  ranged  round  the  pillars, 
and  placed  on  pyramidal  stands  on  the  floor.  The  Prince  and 
the  Governor  and  the  dii  majores  sat  at  an  elevated  table,  at 
right  angles  to  which  were  ranged  the  tables  of  the  general  com- 
pany, and  when  the  feast  was  over,  and  the  toasts  of  the  Queen 
and  of  the  Prince  had  been  given  by  Sir  P.  Wodehouse  and  re- 
ceived with  acclamation,  the  party  made  an  inspection  of  the 
chambers  of  the  Temple,  admiring  especially  the  massive  col- 
umns with  their  beautiful  carved  capitals — works  quite  apart — and 
then  escaped  to  the  outer  air,  and  descended  the  steps  under  the 
trellis  archway  of  lamps,  now  hotter  than  ever,  towards  the  pier. 
But  before  they  reached  the  beach  the  island  suddenly  became 


THE   PROCESSION.  155 

volcanic  ;  the  double  mountain  begun  to  glow  with  fires  ;  on  the 
summit  above  the  caves  spirted  up  tongues  of  colored  flames, 
and  then  followed  eruptions  of  rockets — we  were  in  for  more  fire- 
works !  It  was  rather  a  sauve  qui  pent  from  the  sticks  in  some 
places ;  and  when  the  Prince's  launch  pushed  off  from  the  shore 
it  seemed  as  though  Elephanta  were  resolving  itself  into  red, 
blue,  and  green  fires.  And  yet  this  was  but  a  preparation — a 
kind  of  pyrotechnic  prelude  to  what  followed,  when  the  proces- 
sion of  boats,  escorted  by  the  steamers,  approached  the  two 
squadrons  of  the  fleet,  and  passed  down  an  alley  of  ships  dis- 
charging volleys,  in  which  the  Osborne  and  Serapis  were  con- 
spicuous as  ever  in  their  rivalry  of  fireworks. 

"  Fire  answers  fire  ! — and  thro'  their  paly  flames, 
Each  battle  sees  the  other's  umbered  face." 

I  can  say  no  more  except  that  it  was,  all  in  all,  perhaps  the 
most  impressive  of  all  the  many  displays  of  the  kind  made  for 
the  Prince's  honor,  and  for  the  delectation  of  those  who  came  to 
pay  it  to  him.  The  moon,  sailing  in  state  in  the  bright  starlight 
above,  instead  of  diminishing  the  beauty  and  brightness  of  the 
scene,  cast  over  the  bay  a  scheen  which  increased  greatly  the 
pleasure  which  the  eye  conveyed  to  the  beholder,  the  illuminated 
hulls  and  rigging  of  the  ships,  the  colored  fires,  the  rocket  flights 
^were  reflected  in  the  silver  mirror,  and  it  was  difficult  to  say 
where  the  sky  ended  and  the  sea.  began — the  boats  seemed  to 
float  on  some  new  innocuous  Phlegethon,  But  all  that's  bright 
must  fade,  and  people  must  sleep  !  and  so  the  Prince  landed  and 
drove  off  to  Parell,  and  that  day  was  ended. 


SWAMP  SHOOTING. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Visit  to  Baroda — Battle  of  Kirkee — Poonah  Address— Gunnesh  Khind — 
Rumors  of  War — Sivajee — The  First  Review — Going  Somewhere — Ball 
at  Parell — Departure  for  Baroda — The  Reception — State  Elephants — 
Residency  at  Baroda — Baroda  Highlanders — The  Gaekwar's  Court-= 
Scenes  in  the  Arena — Sensible  Rhinoceros — Zoological  Collection — 
Shikar  Party — Cheetahs — Deer-Stalking — Native  OCicers — Palace  of  the* 
Gaekwar — The  Queen  and  the  Gaekwar — Quail  Shooting — Visit  to  the 
City — Return  to  Bombay— Uncertain  where  to  go — Visitors  to  Hyderabad 
— -A  Hindoo  Wedding — Departure  from  Bombay, 

NOVEMBER  13. — At  5.30  A.  M.  all  the  servants  in  camp  were 
turned  out  to  send  off  luggage  to  the  train,  which  started  for 
Kirkee  at  7  A.  M.— that  is,  it  was  to  have  started,  but  it  really  did 
not  go  off  for  an  hour  and  a  half  later.  The  news  from  the  hunt- 
ing-grounds in  the  south  is  still  worse  ;  Colonel  Michael  is  in 
despair.  He  says  that  cholera  is  always  to  be  found  in  India  ; 
that  if  its  presence  is  to  deter  the  Prince  from  going  to  his 
Valley  it  ought  to  prevent  his  going  anywhere.  But  anyhow,  the 
roads  which  had  been  made  up  the  hill-sides  for  the  Prince's 

'56 


JOURNEY   TO    POONAH.  157 

accommodation  to  that  happy  Valley  have  been  destroyed  in  a 
tremendous  rain-storm.  There  has  been  no  rain  here,  so  every- 
thing seems  to  be  against  the  expedition. 

A  special  train  to  convey  the  Prince  and  suite  to  Poonah, 
119  miles,  was  at  the  station  close  to  Parell  at  n  A.  M.  There 
was  a  guard  of  honor  of  Volunteers — Europeans,  of  course — 
whom  the  Prince  inspected,  and  to  whom  he  expressed  his  satis- 
faction at  their  appearance,  and  his  approbation  of  the  move- 
ment which  has  now  extended  over  India  ;  every  Station  of  con- 
siderable size  has  its  own  corps.  This  was  the  first  occasion  on 
which  the  Prince  travelled  by  rail  in  India,  and  he  had  now  the 
first  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  wonders  of 
"bundabust"  which  are  supposed  to  be  so  remarkable  there  in 
all  Government  departments.  To  each  carriage  was  affixed  a 
label  with  the  names  of  those  of  the  suite  who  were  to  occupy 
it ;  and  in  the  same  way  the  vehicles  in  which  they  were  to  be 
seated  on  their  arrival  were  told  off,  generally  with  great  exact- 
ness, all  through  the  tour. 

Sir  Bartle  Frere  has  recorded  that  an  officer,  who  was  quar- 
tered at  one  of  the  first  stations  we  stopped  at  outside  Bombay, 
Tannah,  when  it  was  an  outpost,  in  1808,  was  Brigadier  in 
command  of  Peshawur,  more  than  1000  miles  north  of  it,  in 
1858  ;  but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  that  vast  stride  was  made 
quite  over  terra  firma.  There  are  some  who  think  it  would  have 
been  better  to  have  dug  down  in  what  we  had,  for  solid  founda- 
tions for  our  power,  than  to  have  been  so  eager  for  new  territory. 
But  anyway,  the  Russian  can  point  to  no  longer  leap  in  the  last 
fifty  years  than  that  wonderful  skip  from  Tannah  to  Peshawur. 

The  ascent  of  the  Bhore  Ghaut  and  the  scenery  of  the  line 
have  been  so  often  described,  that  it  would  be  as  superfluous  to 
say  a  word  about  it,  as  it  would  be  to  give  an  account  of  the 
road  from  Aberdeen  to  Ballater ;  but  at  all  events,  it  may  be 
said  that  it  was  a  very  interesting  journey,  and  the  Prince  and 
his  followers  enjoyed  it  all  the  more  because,  as  the  train 
mounted  the  gradients  to  the  summit  level,  the  heat  sensibly 
diminished. 


1 58  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

Kirkee,  the  scene  of  the  battle  which  determined  the  fate  of 
the  Mahratta  Empire,  was  reached  in  due  time.  It  is  just  fifty- 
eight  years  and  one  week  ago  since  by  this  roadside  there  was 
fought  that  action  of  momentous  consequences  to  British  rule  ; 
for  the  results  were  the  fall  of  the  power  of  the  Peishwa  and  the 
establishment  of  that  of  the  Company  in  the  Deccan.  But  very 
few  cared  now  to  know  about  Bajee  Rao,  the  last  of  the  Peishwas, 
for  we  were  all  eager  to  get  to  Poonah  and  to  rest.  It  is,  how- 
ever, not  to  be  left  unnoted  that  the  success  of  the  British  in  that 
battle,  which  was  a  crowning  victory,  was  due,  in  great  part,  to 
the  extraordinary  attachment  of  a  native  regiment — not  to  the 
ruler  of  their  own  country — but  to  Ford,  their  European  leader. 
The  regiment  belonged  to  the  Peishwa's  infantry,  but  fought 
against  him  at  the  command  of  a  European  Commandant. 
There  is  a  good  deal  to  be  thought  of  in  that  fact,  and  it  would 
be  well  if  our  Government  could  always  get  men  of  the  same 
stamp  as  Major  Ford  to  lead  native  regiments.  There  was  not 
much  to  be  seen  from  the  train  at  Kirkee — a  plain  sufficiently 
dry-looking  •  rows  of  bungalows,  and  lines  of  trees  by  the  road- 
side ;  a  British  battery  firing  a  salute  ;  a  crowd  of  soldiers'  wives 
and  children,  European  and  Eurasian,  outside  the  railings,  and 
officials  and  the  guard  on  the  platform,  which  was  decorated  with 
flowers  and  flags.  In  a  few  minutes  more  the  thud  of  another 
salute  was  heard  ahead,  and  the  train  stopped.  Many  officers, 
civil  and  military,  and  a  great  gathering  of  the  "  Station,"  greeted 
the  Prince  as  he  stepped  out  on  the  platform,  with  much  enthusi- 
asm. Sir  Charles  Stavely  and  his  staff,  and  Lord  Mark  Kerr 
and  his  staff,  and  every  one  who  could  get  there,  were  waiting  to 
receive  the  Royal  visitor,  who  drove  in  State  through  the  Can- 
tonments and  the  outlying  suburbs,  which  are  so  creditable  to  the 
powers  that  be. 

The  procession  suddenly  pulled  up  in  the  sun,  between  the 
lines  of  soldiers,  which  formed  a  bright  border  to  the  variegated 
flower-bed-looking  crowd  of  natives  behind.  It  is  always  difficult 
for  those  who  are  in  some  sort  engaged  in  the  smaller  business 
of  ceremonials  to  become  cognizant  of  more  than  their  own  part 


ARRIVAL    AT    POONAH.  159 

in  it.  They  are  like  the  actors  behind  the  scenes,  waiting  till 
their  turns  come,  save  and  except  that  they  take  more  interest 
in  that  which  is  going  on  in  front.  "  An  address,  of  course  !  " 
And  so  it  was,  for  the  elders  of  Poonah,  headed  by  a  venerable- 
looking  man  with  a  noble  beard,  were  on  a  platform,  beyond 
which  was  a  fair  arch  of  triumph  ;  by  the  roadside,  and  behind 
and  on  each  side  of  them,  were  many  European  ladies  and  na- 
tives, who  gave  the  Prince  a  most  loyal  welcome.  These  we  saw 
when  our  turn  came  to  pass  the  stand.  It  was  the  Honorable 
Khan  Bahadoor  Poodumjee  Pestonjee  who  read  the  address, 
which  was  enshrined  in  a  fine  casket  of  silver,  whereupon  was  an 
image  of  Gunputty,  God  of  Wisdom,  with  a  lotus  in  one  of  his 
four  hands,  and  his  faithful  mouse  in  attendance.  The  Prince 
made  a  gracious  reply,  and  was  much  cheered.  And  then  on 
and  on  through  miles  of  road  and  street  lined  with  soldiers, 
British  and  Native,  and  crowded  with  people,  mostly  Mahrattas. 
It  was  5  o'clock  P.  M.  ere  the  Prince  reached  Poonah,  and 
then  there  was  a  long  drive  to  the  Government  House  of  Ganesh 
(or  Gunnesh)  Khind,  of  which  we  had  heard  before — the  bete  noire 
which  Mr.  Fawcett  turned  out  occasionally  in  the  House  as  "  a 
typical  instance  of  the  extravagance  and  insubordination  of  the 
Governors  of  Bombay."  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  who  was  with  the 
Prince,  underwent  a  little  raillery  on  the  subject,  but,  standing 
in  the  magnificent  marbled  halls  of  the  Palace,  he  might  say 
"Circumspice !"  He  had,  however,  a  good  deal  more  to  say, 
and  more  germane  to  the  matter,  which  is  somewhat  complicated. 
In  an  able  minute,  Sir  Bartle  Frere  seems  to  candid  minds  to 
have  established  the  points,  that  he  built  a  very  fine  dwelling  for 
future  Governors,  that  he  acted  within  his  legal  powers,  that  he 
was  not  insubordinate,  and  that  he  had  not,  when  he  retired  from 
the  Government  of  Bombay,  expended  all  the  money  at  his  dis- 
posal. The  Palace  and  buildings  cost  175,0007.  But  India  is  a 
very  dear  place  for  some  sorts  of  work — papering  a  small  room 
here  cost  jo/. ;  making  a  door,  387. ;  the  marble  cement  for  the 
State  P  i\\  ing-Room,  3607.  ;  and  so 'on.  Anyway,  there  is  the 
Palace — if  not  quite  a  thing  of  beauty  and  a  joy  for  ever,  at  least 


l6o  THE   PRINCE   OF   '.TALES'    TOUR. 

a  very  imposing  structure,  with  noble  tower  and  fair  frontage — 
state  apartments  of  the  grandest — conservatories,  gardens  fresh 
and  blooming — placed  on  a  commanding  site,  with  a  view  over 
the  undulating  plains  and  strange  tumulous  scenery  of  the  Deccan. 
The  Prince  was  received  here  in  state  worthy  of  him,  and  his 
standard  flew  out  from  the  tower  as  he  set  foot  within  the  thresh- 
old of  the  Palace.  The  generals  and  officers,  military  and  civil, 
attended,  and  were  duly  presented. 

After  a  stroll  through  the  charming  grounds  of  Gunnesh 
Khind,  the  party  in  waiting  on  the  Prince  broke  up,  and  sought 
out  their  lodgings.  Some  were  quartered  in  the  Palace,  others 
were  provided  with  accommodation  in  houses  in  adjacent  coin- 
pounds.  The  dispersion  at  Gunnesh  Khind  was  inevitable,  be- 
cause that  stately  residence,  with  all  its  grandeur,  does  not 
possess  the  merits  of  extensive  accommodation  ;  but  there  were 
carriages  provided  to  take  the  guests  to  and  fro.  The  Duke  of 
Sutherland  and  Lord  Alfred  Paget  were  told  off  to  Bungalow 
No.  i.  The  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth,  Mr.  Hall,  and  myself  were 
informed  that  we  were  to  lodge  at  Bungalow  No.  2.  "  Where 
are  they  ? "  "  Oh !  any  one  would  tell  us."  The  Duke,  Lord 
Alfred,  and  myself  were  put  in  one  carriage,  which  was  driven 
by  a  coachman  in  the  Governor's  livery,  aided  by  another  do- 
mestic in  fine  garments,  and  we  set  off  full  of  confidence.  At 
first  there  was  the  Park,  then  there  was  a  pretty  guard-house 
and  a  fine  Clock-Tower,  and  a  noble  porter's  lodge  and  gate  to 
admire  ;  after  which  came  a  nice  drive  in  the  country.  On  we 
went.  Poonah  was  in  sight.  Still  the  coachman  drove  on.  But 
where  was  Bungalow  No.  i  or  Bungalow  No.  2  ?  Suspicion  be- 
gan to  cloud  our  thoughts  and  interrupt  our  speech.  "  Ask  him 
where  he  is  going  ? "  But  alas  !  the  coachman  and  his  fellow 
were  Mahrattas,  and  understood  only  their  own  tongue,  so  that 
indifferent  Ordoo  was  quite  thrown  away  on  them.  There  were 
a  few  Europeans  loitering  on  the  road  to  take  chance  of  seeing 
the  Prince  ;  but  not  one  of  them  had  ever  heard  of  Bungalow 
No.  i  or  of  Bungalow  No.  2.  An  artillery  non-commissioned 
officer,  who  had  been  quartered  for  months  close  at  hand,  could 


RUMORS    OF    WAR.  l6l 

not  even  direct  us  to  the  Clock-Tower,  to  which  we  desired  to 
return.  He  had  never  seen  it.  By  ingenious  pantomime,  not 
unaccompanied  by  vigorous  demonstration,  the  coachman  was 
at  last  induced  to  abandon  his  apparent  object  of  taking  us  to 
Central  India,  and  to  turn  back  towards  Gunnesh  Khind.  This 
time  Sir.  P.  Wodehouse  moved  his  staff  to  explicit  ordering,  and 
eventually  the  party  were  installed  in  their  bungalows. 

There  was  a  State  dinner,  and  a  dance,  which  was,  I  think, 
suggested  by  the  Prince  as  an  enlivening  process.  Among  the 
guests  was  Count  SeckendorfT — a  clever  linguist,  and  a  man  of 
observation  and  resource,  with  a  fine  taste  in  art,  and  of  merit 
as  an  artist — who  is  visiting  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala,  whose 
acquaintance  he  made  when  he  was  attached  by  his  Government 
to  the  Head-quarters  of  the  Abyssinian  Expedition.  His  father 
was  well  known  in  the  diplomatic  service  in  London,  where  he 
represented  Prussian  interests  for  some  years.  He  has  a  good 
deal  of  the  hard-Jieadedness  of  his  race ;  but  he  is  kind-hearted, 
and  willing  to  serve  a  friend,  as  I  had  occasion  to  know  when 
he  was  on  the  Crown  Prince's  Staff  at  the  time  we  were  to- 
gether in  France  and  at  Versailles. 

November  14. — Mr.  Kanne',  who  superintends  the  arrange- 
ments for  the  Royal  travels,  having  accompanied  the  Prince  so 
far,  starts  early  to-morrow  morning  with  letters  to  deliver  to  the 
Princess  of  Wales  and  the  Queen.  Alarming  telegrams  that 
Russia  had  set  three  army  corps  on  a  war-footing,  ready  to  move 
at  a  moment's  notice,  came  later.  It  appeared  quite  possible 
that  the  expedition  would  be  abandoned,  for  in  case  of  war  it 
would  not  be  expedient  for  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  be  away  from 
Great  Britain.  Canon  Duckworth  preached  at  the  Station 
Church,  which  was  very  much  crowded,  as  it  was  expected  that 
the  Prince  would  have  attended.  However,  having  been  at 
Divine  service  in  Government  House  in  the  forenoon,  he  only 
visited  General  Staveley's  quarters,  where  he  had  tea. 

November  15. —  Early  in  the  morning  Mr.  Kanne  came 
knocking  at  the  door  of  the  bungalow  wherein  Canon  Duck- 
worth, Mr.  Hall,  and  myself  were  lodged,  to  get  the  letters 

ii 


1 62  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

which  were  lying  on  the  table  ;  but  so  sound  asleep  were  we, 
that  he  had  to  leave  without  obtaining  admission.  It  was  not 
comfortable  to  find  that  the  servants  showed  so  little  vigilance. 
I  woke  up  later,  found  the  letters,  and  despatched  one  of  the 
many  natives — who  were  lying  outside  in  the  veranda,  rolled 
up  in  their  calico  garments  like  lumps  of  dough — to  the  Railway 
Station,  which  was  some  miles,  and  the  man  made  such  good 
use  of  his  slender  legs  that  he  caught  Mr.  Kanne  just  in  time. 

At  6  A.  M.  the  Prince  started  to  visit  the  famous  Temple  of 
Parbuttee,  rather  to  the  discomfiture  of  some  of  the  suite,  who 
scarcely  believed  that  so  early  a  start,  designed  overnight,  would 
be  carried  out  in  the  morning.  One  of  them  even  ventured  on 
what  is  called  "  backing  his  opinion,"  that  the  chief  of  the  expe- 
dition would  not  be  punctual,  for  a  small  amount,  which  was 
lost,  an. I  duly  paid  to  the  winner.  Two  of  the  suite  who  were 
late,  found  that  the  old  saying  of  "  the  more  haste  the  less 
speed/'  was  true  in  India  as  well  as  at  home,  and  came  down 
with  or  parted  from,  their  horses  as  they  rode,  venire  a  tcrre,  to 
overtake  the  party.  The  ascent  to  the  Temple,  which  is  effected 
by  a  long  flight  of  stone  steps,  exceeding  steep,  and  in  some 
places  rugged,  was  made  upon  elephants,  and  the  Prince'  now 
had  his  first  experience  of  a  mode  of  carriage  with  which  he  be- 
came familiar  enough  ere  he  left  the  country.  Chota-hazree 
(small  breakfast)  was  served  at  the  base  of  the  ascent  to  the 
lofty  hills  on  which  towers  the  fortress-like  Temple.  There  was 
a  gathering  of  devotees,  fakirs,  beggars,  to  welcome  the  visitors ; 
but  here,  as  elsewhere,  due  precautions  were  taken  to  prevent 
intrusiveness  or  mobbing.  The  Prince  inspected  the  interior  of 
the  great  pile,  Was  shown  the  shrine  of  Shiva,  looked  at  the  idols, 
and  had  a  conversation  with  one  of  the  priests,  a  very  astute 
Brahmin,  who,  having  learned  all  that  he  could  of  English  dia- 
lectics, and  possibly  the  rudiments  of  Christianity,  had  reverted 
with  increase  of  subtlety — but  not  with  much  credence,  it  would 
seem,  for  what  he  said  respecting  the  details  of  his  religious 
exercises — to  the  practices  of  his  faith.  He  was  an  exceedingly 
good,  if  not  an  interesting,  specimen  of  the  cultivated  Brahmin 


SIVAJEE.  163 

a  r Anglais,  a  master  of  logic,  of  a  philosophical  humor,  coupled 
with  a  mocking  spirit,  which  perhaps  would  have  developed 
into  an  exhibition  of  some  stronger  feeling  had  he  dared  to 
indulge  in  it.  He  was  made  happy  in  the  way  he  most  valued, 
by  a  gift  to  the  Temple  from  the  Royal  hand.  From  a  window- 
like  slit  in  the  wall  of  the  Temple,  the  last  of  the  Peishwas 
beheld  the  rout  of  his  forces  on  the  plains  of  Kirkee  below,  and 
could  possibly  perceive  that  the  deadliest  blow  was  struck  by  the 
troops  on  whom  he  most  trusted  for  the  success  of  his  treacher- 
ous attack.  It  was  more  than  a  defeat — it  was  the  overthrow 
of  an  Empire  and  the  destruction  of  a  dominant  race.  •  Recent 
visitors  have  attempted  to  gather  a  moral  from  the  history  of  that 
defeat,  and  have  inferred  that  our  Power  is  perfectly  secure, 
because  2800  well-drilled  men,  of  whom  800  were  Europeans, 
once  routed  18,000  scratch  cavalry  and  8000  infantry,  provided 
with  fourteen  pieces  cf  Native  artillery.  Such  hasty  assumptions 
form  a  very  unsound  basis  for  the  convictions  of  men  who  may 
influence  State  policy.  Whilst  the  Prince  was  at  Parbuttee,  the 
Duke  of  Sutherland  and  Lord  A.  Paget,  under  the  guidance 
of  Colonel  Fife,  visited  the  great  artificial  lake  which  serves  as 
the  head-water  of  a  vast  scheme  of  irrigation  connected  with  the 
Moota,  and  the  renowned  stronghold  called  Singguhr,  i.  e.,  the 
Lion  Fortress,  eleven  miles  from  Poonah,  which  was  captured  so 
wonderfully  by  Sivajee.  It  was  built  on  the  summit  of  a  block 
of  basalt  so  steep  and  high  that  the  only  means  of  reaching  the 
fortress  is  by  a  laborious  climb  on  one's  legs,  or  by  using  the 
legs  of  the  porters  who  carry  you  up  in  a  palanquin  in  about  an 
hour.  Sivajee,  the  Mahratta  hero,  was  not  gifted  with  very  heroic 
attributes,  according  to  our  conception — u  Bloody,  resolute,  and 
cruel," — he  was,  however,  full  of  energy,  resource,  and  subtlety, 
undaunted  and  indefatigable.  From  the  Temple  you  can  see 
the  ruins  of  Torna,  the  first  fort  he  captured,  as  well  as  Raj-guhr, 
the  first  which  he  founded,  in  the  Deccan,  and  a  vast  extent  of 
rolling  country  scarred  with  watercourses,  and  streaked  by 
mountain  ridges,  which  are  broken  here  and  there  into  detached 
truncated  blocks,  frequently  crowned  by  ruined  fortalices. 


164  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

On  the  Prince's  return  from  the  Temple  to  Gunnesh  Khmd, 
there  was  a  discussion  respecting  future  plans  and  programmes. 
Opinions  differed  every  hour  as  accounts  came  in,  each  with  a 
new  version  of  the  state  of  the  South  ;  at  7  A.  M.  it  was  reported 
that  the  hills  were  free  from  disease  ;  all  were  happy  at  the  pros- 
pect of  a  visit  to  the  shooting  camp,  and  remained  so  till  8  A.  M., 
when  a  telegram  reported  "cholera  still  rife."  This  was  follow- 
ed by  one  at  8.30  A.  M.,  that  there  was  sickness  at  Coimbatore  ; 
which  was  succeeded  by  another  at  9  A.  M.  to  announce  that  chol- 
era was  spreading  generally  over  Madras  and  Southern  India. 
This  last  despatch,  being  official  and  positive,  seemed  final. 
Alteratives  and  plans  to  consume  the  time  between  the  Prince's 
departure  and  the  date  fixed  for  his  arrival  in  Ceylon  were  sug- 
gested, for  the  Bombay  programme  promised  to  be  speedily 
exhausted.  Besides,  it  could  not  but  be  felt  that  whilst  the 
Governor  and  his  officers  were  engaged  in  the  agreeable  task  of 
entertaining  the  Prince,  the  work  of  Government  was  almost  at 
a  standstill.  Many  places,  such  as  Ahmedabad  and  Baroda, 
were  named  ;  and  finally  it  was  resolved  to  ask  Ceylon  when  she 
would  be  ready,  and  meantime  to  visit  if  possible  the  city  of  the 
Gaekwar. 

A  review  of  the  Poonah  Division  was  ordered  at  6  p.  M.,  but 
it  was  rather  later  when  the  Prince  came  on  the  ground,  a  flat 
plain,  which  is  used  as  a  course  for  the  races  so  dear  to  the 
hearts  of  civilians  and  soldiers,  not  to  speak  of  the  mem-Sahibs 
of  the  Presidency.  There  was  a  very  considerable  concourse  of 
Natives  among  whom  the  Mahratta  turban  largely  predominated, 
and  all  the  Europeans  who  could  manage  to  be  there  congrega- 
ted near  the  flag-staff,  where  they  seemed  but  a  little  dark  patch 
on  the  broad  white  selvage  of  the  indigenous  multitude. 

There  was  not  a  very  large  force  to  show,  nor  were  the  Native 
regiments  good  specimens.*  As  the  eye  gets  accustomed  to  the 
local  color,  the  faces  of  Europeans  strike  one  as  being  almost 
unwholesomely  pale,  and  the  helmet  projecting  over  the  brow, 

*  See  Field  State. — Appendix. 


THE    FIRST    REVIEW.  165 

and  casting  a  shadow  on  the  upper  part,  gives  an  appearance  of 
attenuation,  and  causes  the  features  to  look  shrunk  and  small. 
Lord  Mark  Ker,  although  he  admitted  that  recruits  were  too 
numerous,  and  explained  that  the  Native  battalions  were  not  at 
their  full  strength,  did  his  best  with  the  materials  that  he  had. 
The  Prince  and  some  of  his  suite  mounted  ;  others  were  on  foot 
or  in  carriages.  Riding  strange  horses,  mostly  "  Walers,"  given 
to  the  high  spirits  and  capers  of  their  tribe,  and  going  at  a  great 
pace,  several  of  the  horsemen  were  unfortunate.  One  was 
thrown  heavily;  another,  not  attached. to  the  Royal  party,  was 
carried  by  his  steed  among  the  spectators  ;  so  that,  on  the  whole, 
there  was  some  little  excitement  apart  from  the  military  specta- 
cle. Before  the  march  past  was  over  it  became  too  dark  to  make 
out  much  more  than  the  fact  that  there  were  troops  moving  in 
quarter-distance  column  in  front  of  the  Grand  Stand.  It  was 
"  black  as  pitch  "  when  Captain  Hogg,  of  the  Poonah  Horse, 
exhibited  his  plan  of  dismounting  cavalry,  which  has  been  thought 
highly  of  by  some  authorities,  but  of  which  there  was  no  oppor- 
tunity of  forming  an  opinion  under  the  circumstances.  The 
merit  claimed  for  it  consists  principally  in  the  way  in  which,  as  it 
was  explained,  the  horses  of  the  dismounted  troopers  are  held, 
so  as  to  enable  a  larger  proportion  of  the  troopers  than  is  possi- 
ble under  the  ordinary  system,  to  act  as  infantry,  and  to  resume 
the  functions  of  cavalry  very  quickly. 

The  Prince  returned  to  Gunnesh  Khind  by  the  city  and  Can- 
tonments, which  were  illuminated  with  great  brilliancy.  Nee/I  I 
add  that  there  were  fire-works,  triumphal  arches,  inscriptions — 
that  the  streets  were  thronged — that  buttees  and  fires,  blue,  red 
and  green,  revelled  aloft  and  alow — that  there  was  abundance  of 
music  of  the  native  kind — and  that  every  one  was  glad  to  get  to 
Gunnesh  Khind,  and  to  pack  up  his  recollections  of  Poonah — 
very  pleasant  on  the  whole — with  his  portmanteau,  which  was  to 
be  packed  off  to  the  Kirkee  Station  before  dinner?  There  was 
a  farewell  dinner  at  Gunnesh  Khind,  and  at  midnight  the  Prince 
and  his  company  drove  to  the  special  train  at  Kirkee,  where  the 
servants  had  arranged  luxurious  beds  in  the  carriages,  and  in 


1 66  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

half  an  hour  more  they  were  rattling  away  from  the  former  capi- 
tal of  the  Peishwas  on  their  return  to  Bombay,  sleeping  as  secure- 
ly as  if  they  were  at  home. 

November  16. — There  were  few  who  were  awake  at  sunrise 
and  saw  the  wild  scenery  of  the  Ghauts  gradually  developed  in 
the  early  morning,  but  those  who  were  by  chance  so  fortunate 
had  reason  to  be  grateful.  The  train  arrived  at  the  station  out- 
side Parell  at  7.30  A.  M.,  and  the  Prince  at  once  drove  to  Govern- 
ment House.  Here  the  situation  was  reviewed  once  more. 
When  the  necessity  of  "  going  somewhere  "  was  forced  on  the 
consideration  of  the  Prince's  counsellors  at  Poonah,  and  earlier 
in  the  day,  many  places  were  mentioned  and  discussed  before 
Baroda  became  the  favorite.  There  were  several  reasons  for 
caution  and  investigation  before  the  Prince  could  be  advised  to 
go  to  the  capital  of  a  State  which  had  lately  been  the  scene  of 
the  remarkable  and  exceptional  political  trial  which  had  agitated 
not  merely  India,  but  had  extended  its  influence  to  public  opin- 
ion in  Great  Britain.  The  deposed  Ruler  was  known  to  have 
many  adherents,  despite  his  crimes  and  misgovernment.  Sirdars 
who  declared  the  tyrant's  rule  intolerable,  have  since  been  heard 
to  express  sorrow  for  his  fate  and  for  his  misfortunes.  The  old 
Court  followers  of  Mulhar  Rao  have  been  disarmed  and  scattered 
abroad,  but  who  could  guard  against  the  presence  of  one  or  of 
twenty  desperate  men  in  a  city  of  90,000  or  100,000  people? 
The  Baroda  Government,  however,  was  confident.  The  former 
Resident,  Sir  R.  Meade,  whose  knowledge  of  the  present  condi- 
tion of  the  place  carried  immense  weight  with  it,  was  in  favor  of 
the  visit,  and  was  satisfied  that  there  would  be  no  risk  in  going 
there,  and  the  Governor  of  Bombay  was  relieved  of  a  responsi- 
bility which  he  might  have  been  unwilling  to  incur  had  the  excur- 
sion of  his  Royal  Highness  been  dependent  on  him  alone.  In 
all  matters  of  the  kind  the  Prince  of  Wales  submitted  with  the 
utmost  readiness  to  the  advice  and  opinions  of  the  Indian  author- 
ities. Finally  the  Governor-General,  when  it  was  suggested 
that  the  Prince  of  Wales  should  honor  the  young  Gaekwar  by 
going  to  see  him  in  his  capital,  gave  his  concurrence  and  ap- 


PRESENTATION    OF    COLORS.  l6/ 

proval.  So,  after  many  pros  and  cons,  it  was  settled  that  the 
Prince  might  safely  visit  Baroda.  There  were  promises  of  ex- 
cellent sport,  and  there  was  also  the  opportunity  of  seeing  a 
Native  Court  still  flourishing  close  to  one  of  the  capitals  of 
British  India.  The  result  was  that  the  Prince  of  Wales  saw  a 
place  rarely  touched  by  the  foot  of  the  stranger,  and  had  a  recep- 
tion which,  if  it  were  wanting  in  the  glare,  enthusiasm,  cheers, 
and  infinite  variety  of  forms,  ceremonies,  and  entertainments 
which  welcomed  him  at  Bombay,  was  entirely  Oriental  —  the 
source  of  much  enjoyment  to  himself,  and  of  great  service,  it  is 
believed,  to  the  State. 

New  colors  were  presented  by  the  Prince  to  the  Marine 
Battalion,  as  the  2ist  B.  N.  I.  are  called,  at  4  P.  M.,  on  the  open 
space  near  the  Secretariat,  and  the  ceremony  attracted  an  enor- 
mous rriass  of  people,  among  whom,  conspicuous  for  their  car- 
riages and  costumes,  were  the  Chiefs  still  lingering  in  Bombay, 
and  the  ever-present  and  picturesque  Parsee  ladies  and  children. 
The  prayer  which,  according  to  "  Regulations,"  the  Chaplain  is 
wont  to  deliver  on  the  presentation  of  colors  to  a  Christian 
regiment,  was  necessarily  omitted,  but  every  other  portion  of 
the  detailed  and  elaborate,  if  not  imposing,  formality,  was  duly 
observed.  The  old  colors,  inscribed  with  many  names,  mostly 
unknown  to  Europeans,  and  not  so  ancient  as  the  corps,  which 
was  raised  nearly  a  century  ago,  were  accepted  by  the  Prince, 
and  carried  home  to  England  to  grace  the  walls  of  Sandring- 
ham.* 

After  another  burra  khana  at  Parell,  there  was  a  grand  ball, 
the  last  for  the  good  people  of  Bombay,  and  the  Nawabs  and 
Rajas  who  came  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  how  European 
ladies  and  gentlemen  dance  to  amuse  themselves  instead  of 
looking  at  others  do  it  for  them.  However,  there  are  some 
Europeans  who  prefer  seeing  a  ballet  to  engaging  in  the  pleas- 
ures of  square  or  round.  The  Chiefs  scarcely  rallied  round  the 
supper  tables,  although  some  of  them  are  known  as  "  quiet  drink- 

*  See  Field  State.— Appendix. 


1 68  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

ers,"  chez  eux.  When  we  see  dancing  Rajas  and  waltzing  Nawabs 
in  India,  we  may  be  sure  our  work  is  almost  accomplished  ;  but 
to  judge  from  the  modest  way  they  avoided  beautifully  dressed 
ladies  to-night,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  day  were  yet  far  to 
seek. 

November  17. — "  Farewell  the  tented  field!  "  Farewell  the 
crows  and  minars,  which  seemed  to  think  it  their  bounden  duty 
to  insist  on  early  hours  being  observed  by  those  under  their  pro- 
tection, and  who  cawed  and  chattered  ere  the  sun  rose,  regard- 
less of  the  fact  that  they  went  to  bed  when  he  set  the  night 
before,  whereas  their  victim  had  not  long  lain  down  !  To-day  we 
pack  up  and  clear  out  from  under  canvas.  Those  who  are  going 
to  Baroda  to-morrow  are  only  to  take  what  is  necessary — some 
are  to  shoot — others  are  to  look  on.  The  heavy  baggage  is  to 
go  on  board  ship.  In  the  afternoon  the  Prince  left  Parell,  which 
had  been  in  such  constant  fete  since  his  arrival,  and  which  was 
now  fast  emptying  out  the  offerings  from  the  Chiefs,  and  send- 
ing them  to  the  boats. 

The  presents,  upwards  of  400  in  number,  from  the  Bombay 
Rajas  and  Chiefs,  included  specimens  of  every  variety  of  Indian 
workmanship — tissues,  brocade,  cloths,  arms  of  all  kinds,  jew- 
elry, gold,  silver,  and  metal.  On  the  whole  the  offerings  were 
good  without  being  too  fine.  The  Raja  of  Kolhapoor,  in  addition 
to  an  ancient  jewelled  sword  and  dagger,  estimated  to  be  worth 
6000  rupees,  has  assigned  a  sum  of  no  less  that  2o,ooo/.  for  the 
admirable  purpose  of  founding  a  hospkal,  to  be  called  after  the 
Prince  of  Wales.  The  presents  of  the  Nizam,  rich  in  swords, 
fire-arms,  carpets,  gold  cloth,  and  the  like,  were  especially  inter- 
esting. The  Gaekwar  of  Baroda  offered  a  tea-service  of  silver, 
of  native  workmanship  and  design,  made  at  Madras  under 
European  superintendence ;  shields  of  layers  of  silk,  closely 
pressed  together,  which  resist  a  sword-cut  or  the  thrust  of  a  lance 
from  the  strongest  arm  ;  a  pearl  necklace  from  the  Mahranee,  a 
very  beautiful  ornament  which  had  graced  the  necks  of  ladies  of 
the  Gaekwar's  family,  the  pearls  of  excellent  color  and  size,  with 
an  emerald  and  diamond  pendant,  for  the  acceptance  of  the 


BOMBAY   PRESENTS.  169 

Princess  of  Wales.  A  diamond  brooch  with  pearl  pendants  was 
also  presented  to  her  Royal  Highness  by  the  Maharanee.  The 
Rao  of  Cutch  sent  an  exquisite  collection  of  the  famous  work  of 
his  State,  which  has  a  deserved  reputation  in  India.  Upwards 
of  thirty  pieces  of  silver  and  gold,  flower-vases,  tea-services, 
varieties  of  articles  for  the  table,  formed  a  very  sufficient  illus- 
tration of  the  excellence  of  the  workmanship,  and  of  the  taste  of 
the  workmen. 

The  Prince  had  many  to  remember  at  Tarell ;  and  there  was 
a  little  levee  in  the  Hall  when  he  was  about  to  take  his  place  in 
his  carriage.  There  was  not,  however,  any  great  gathering  of 
people  along  the  roadsides,  as  they  probably  were  not  aware  of 
the  hour  of  his  departure.  The  sun  was  furious,  and  the  Prince 
after  a  dusty  drive  once  more  saw,  doubtless  with  pleasure,  the 
sea,  and  the  ships  awaiting  the  moment  of  his  embarkation  for 
the  utterance  of  their  noisy  welcome.  The  bay  shone  like  a 
mirror — not  a  breath  of  wind.  Dr.  Fayrer,  who  has  seen  a  good 
deal  of  other  parts  of  India,  expressed  his  opinion  of  Bombay 
in  the  "  cold  weather  "  in  energetic  terms,  and  most  of  those  on 
board  could  sympathize  with  him.  In  the  evening  Sir  Philip 
Wodehouse,  his  staff  and  suite,  and  others,  came  off  to  dinner, 
and  there  was  a  very  pleasant  evening,  enlivened  by  the  music 
of  the  band  and  India  table-talk,  till  the  guests  departed  for 
shore.  The  ships  were  again  illuminated  and  in  active  erup- 
tion. 

November  18. — A  night  of  great  heat  and  sleeplessness,  or, 
at  best,  of  broken  dreams,  in  which  you  could  not  decide  whether 
you  were  under  a  tent,  or  in  a  railway  carriage,  or  on  an  elephant 
or  at  sea.  "What  noise  of  falling  rockets  in  mine  ears!" 
Indian  "  bundabusts  "  begin  early,  and  the  tumult  of  packing 
began  to  rage  outside  the  cabins  soon  after  dawn.  The  Native 
servants  who  came  on  board  with  their  masters  from  Parell,  and 
had  slept  on  the  hammock  chests,  not  looking  much  the  better  for 
their  "  snug  lying,"  glided  ghost-like  about  in  their  new  quarters. 
The  main-deck  was  the  scene  of  immense  activity  from  6.30  A.  M. 
8 


I/O  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

till  noon,  when  the  steamer  for  the  shore  luggage  came  along- 
side. The  magazines  of  small  arms  were  opened  up  ;  rifles  and 
smooth-bores,  cartridges,  pistols,  shooting-clothes  got  ready, 
and  there  was  a  ripping  up  of  tin  cases,  and  a  rending  of  timber 
not  conducive  to  rest  or  to  literary  pursuits.  When  the  lug- 
gage was  off,  there  was  a  little  calm,  but  no  repose.  Every  one 
bathed  in  perspiration ;  the  air  on  board  is  what  may  be  called 
"  muggy."  Most  of  us  were  driven  out  of  our  berths,  and  sitting 
in  our  very  light  clothing  on  the  main-deck,  outside  our  cabins, 
looked  like  icebergs  on  a  sunny  day.  At  10  A.  M.  the  thermome- 
ter 869  in  the  shade  between  decks.  At  i  P.  M.  the  Prince  went 
with  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  on  board  the  Undaunted,  to  lunch 
with  Admiral  Macdonald.  Dinner  was  half  an  hour  earlier  than 
usual  ;  and  the  Prince  and  suite  were  dressed  in  patrol  jackets 
to  start  for  the  journey  to  Baroda.  Captain  Glyn  was  confined 
to  his  cabin  by  a  slight  attack  of  fever ;  Lord  C.  Beresford  was 
compelled  to  remain  on  board  in  consequence  of  his  fall  at 
Poonah  ;  the  Prince  went  round  and  said  a  few  words  to  them 
before  he  entered  his  steam-launch.  About  8.30  p.  M.  the  Royal 
party  landed  at  the  Apollo  Bunder.  There  were  some  hundreds 
of  Indians,  Europeans,  and  Parsees,  at  the  landing-place,  and  a 
few  hundreds  more  were  collected  along  the  route  to  the  railway. 
Outside  and  inside  the  Station  there  was  a  large  assemblage, 
wherein  the  Parsees  were  conspicuous.  They  have  always  been 
very  much  to  the  front.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  they  are  not 
more  important  as  an  element  of  strength,  for  they  feel  fully  the 
advantage  of  living  under  Brittish  protection.  They  are  very  rich, 
very  commercial,  very  acute,  and  sufficiently  civilized  ;  they  are 
attached  to  a  rule  which  protects  them  and  enables  them  to  make 
money.  No  one,  however,  supposes  the  Parsees  could  fight  for 
us,  or  that,  if  left  to  themselves,  they  could  do  so  successfully  on 
their  own  behalf.  ,  • 

The  railway  to  Baroda  traverses  the  island  on  which  Bombay 
is  built,  arid  is  carried  by  a  series  of  bridges  and  embankments 
over  the  estuaries  and  rivers  which  mingle  their  waters  in  the 
low-lying  district  close  to  the  sea,  across  Salsette,  and  so  north- 


RECEPTION    AT    BARODA.  I /I 

wards  oy  me  small  Portuguese  settlement  of  Damaun,  the  exist- 
ence of  which  was  a  novelty  to  many  of  us. 

November  19. — All  the  party  were  fast  asleep  in  their  snug 
Dcds  in  the  train  when  good  General  Sam  Browne,  like  a  bluster- 
ing East  wind,  came  round  knocking  at  the  windows  of  the  car- 
riages. "  Get  up !  get  up  !  We  shall  be  at  Barocla  in  twenty 
minutes  !  "  A  great  scrambling  to  get  at  clothing  and  uniforms 
ensued,  and  scarcely  were  we  attired  ere  General  Browne's  words 
were  verified.  At  7.20  A.  M.  the  train  arrived.  The  Gaekwar, 
with  Sir  Madhava  Rao  at  his  side,  and  groups  of  resplendent 
Sirdars  behind  him,  Mr.  Melvill,  the  Agent  of  the  Governor- 
General,  and  the  officers  of  the  British  Government,  civil  and 
military,  in  full  uniform,  stood  on  the  platform  at  Baroda,  which 
was  beautifully  decorated  with  green  wreaths  and  festoons,  and 
decked  in  flags  and  flowers,  to  welcome  the  Prince.  Outside 
there  were  triumphal  arches,  and  a  vast  sea  of  dark  faces  under 
the  red  Mahratta  turban — and  turbans  of  every  hue,  green, 
white,  and  blue — was  visible  ;  and  a  mighty  gathering,  which 
might  be  counted  by  tens  of  thousands,  spread  out  along  the 
roadside  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  all  looking  the  same  way, 
all  eyes  fixed  on  one  and  one  object  only — the  son  of  the  Em- 
press, the  Shahzadah  of  Hindostan.  A  regiment  of  Baroda  In- 
fantry in  yellow  coats  and  quaintly-shaped  shakoes  was  drawn 
up  before  the  Station.  Two  squadrons  of  Lancers  belonging  to 
the  State  were  formed  in  their  rear,  and  presented  a  very  pretty 
show  in  their  powder-blue  uniforms  and  turbans — the  bands  on 
the  flanks.  The  Prince  exchanged  greetings  with  the  Gaekwar 
and  Sir  Madhava  and  the  British  officials.  Such  a  clang  of 
drums  and  brass  and  braying  of  clarions  arose  when  he  was 
seen  !  As  the  Guard  of  Honor  (of  her  Majesty's  83d  Regiment, 
under  Captain  Wtndham)  presented  arms,  the  Gaekwar's  in- 
fantry, to  the  roll  of  kettle-drums  and  trumpet  flourishes,  did  the 
same.  The  Pwnce  took  the  little  Maharaja  by  the  hand,  sat 
down  and  spoke  with  him  for  a  short  time.  He  then  passed 
outside  to  the  steps  leading  from  the  entrance  of  the  station, 
before  which  towered  an  elephant  of  extraordinary  size;  on  his 


1/2  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

back  was  a  howdah  of  surpassing  splendor,  which  shone  like 
burnished  gold  in  the  morning  sun  and  which  was  either  made 
of  gold  or  of  silver  gilt.  It  was  covered  with  a  golden  canopy. 
This  exquisitely  finished  carriage,  reported  to  have  cost  four 
lacs  of  rupees,  was  placed  on  cloth  of  gold  and  velvet  cushions, 
fastened  over  the  embroidered  covering  that  almost  concealed 
the  outline  of  the  great  elephant,  which  stood  swaying  his  painted 
proboscis  to  and  fro  as  if  he  kept  time  to  the  music  of  the  bands 
outside.  His  head  was  colored  of  a  bright  saffron,  and  on  this 
ground  were  traced  quaint  scrolls.  His  proboscis  was  especially 
ornamented  in  different  colored  patterns,  and  his  ears  were 
stained  of  a  pale  yellowish-green.  His  tusks  had  been  sawn  off 
to  the  length  of  three  feet,  and  false  tusks  of  greater  diameter, 
also  shortened,  were  wedged  over  them  by  bands  of  gold.  His 
painted  legs  were  encased  in  thick  round  coils  of  gold.  The 
mahout  was  attired  in  a  costume  befitting  such  a  gorgeous 
charge.  Attendants  stood  by  with  State  umbrellas,  fans  of  pea- 
cocks' feathers,  yaks'  tails,  and  streamers  of  scarlet  and  cloth  of 
gold,  which  they  waved  before  the  Prince,  others  held  the  silver 
ladder  for  him  to  ascend  to  the  howdah.  After  a  short  pause  to 
survey  the  scene,  the  Prince  and  the  Gaekwar  descended  the 
steps.  The  beast  in  golden  raiment,  in  a  succession  of  convul- 
sive heaves  and  jerks,  dropped  down  upon  what  elephants  rest 
upon.  The  ladder  was  placed  against  the  howdah,  and  the 
Prince,  carefully  helped,  stepped  up,  the  Gaekwar  followed  and 
sat  by  his  side.  Sir  Madhava  Rao,  in  small  white  turban  and 
purple  velvet  robe,  took  his  place.  At  the  word  to  rise,  the 
mountainous  creature  swayed  to  and  fro,  and  the  Prince  held  on 
strenuously  to  the  rail  in  front  while  the  animal  was  establishing 
itself  on  its  fore-legs.  The  attendants,  with  State  umbrella,  fans, 
and  yaks'  tails,  clung  by  the  sides.  Then,  as  the  elephant  made 
its  first  stride,  the  clamor  of  voices  and  of  sound  deepened  and 
grew  and  spread  onwards,  and  the  artillery  began  a  salute  which 
announced  that  the  Prince  and  the  procession  had  set  out.  The 
next  elephant,  stained  a  French  grey,  or  slate  color,  and  red, 
his  proboscis  richly  arabesqued,  was  even  larger,  but  he  was 


STATE   ELEPHANTS. 

not  so  quiet.  His  howdah  was  of  burnished  silver,  on  a  cloth 
and  cushions  scarcely  less  splendid  than  those  on  the  Royal 
elephant.  Massive  rings  of  silver  encircled  his  tusks  and  legs  ; 
his  mahout  and  attendants  were  dressed  to  match.  The  Duke 
of  Sutherland  and  Mr.  Melvill  got  on  the  second  elephant.  The 
third  elephant,  which  was  rather  of  a  difficult  disposition,  and 
by  flourishes  of  its  tail  and  aberrations  of  its  proboscis,  caused 
thrills  of  anxiety  to  its  riders,  bore  Sir  R.  Meade,  Sir  B.  Frere, 
and  myself.  Other  elephants,  each  painted  and  stained  in  dif- 
ferent fashion  from  his  fellows,  and  each  with  his  peculiar  how- 
dah and  trappings,  stood  in  line  behind.  To  the  right  a  row 
of  these  animals,  to  whom  the  adjective  "  sagacious  "  belongs  of 
right,  knelt  down  in  line,  as  if  dressed  by  a  drill  sergeant,  and 
remained  making  salaams  till  the  Prince  had  passed.  Then 
they  arose  and  followed  in  the  procession.  Beyond  the  line  of 
elephants  clearing  the  way  in  front  of  the  Prince  was  an  advance- 
guard  and  escort  of  the  3d  Hussars,  under  Captain  Gibson, 
which  only  arrived  three  hours  before  from  Bombay,  and  turned 
out  smart  and  fresh  as  possible  after  a  tedious  journey  of  more 
than  eighteen  hours.  In  the  rear  were  three  guns  of  E  9  Battery 
R.  A.,  under  Captain  Georges  ;  Major  Wakefield's  detachment 
of  the  83d  Regiment  furnished  the  infantry  escort.  A  detach- 
ment of  the  Gaekwar's  Artillery,  a  cavalry  band,  a  troop  of  the 
Baroda  Horse — irregular  cavalry — a  great  crowd  of  Parsees, 
Sirdars,  and  small  Chiefs,  Mahrattas,  Guzeratees,  on  horseback 
and  on  foot,  followed. 

The  interest  taken  by  the  population  in  the  Prince's  move- 
ments is  gratified  by  the  full  accounts  in  the  Native  papers, 
which  are  generally  accurate.  It  is  very  curious  to  watch  the 
groups  collected  round  the  happy  possessor  of  a  programme 
whenever  there  is  a  procession,  and  to  see  them  checking  off 
the  various  personages  in  the  carriages,  who  are  not  infrequently 
out  of  their  places,  so  that  the  impressions  conveyed  by  their 
observations  are  not  seldom  erroneous.  To  them,  however, 
Tyrian  and  Trojan  are  much  alike  ;  but  the  offices  held  by 
various  members  of  the  suite  are  subjected  to  strange  transla- 


174          THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

tions  in  the  different  languages  of  the  people.  Even  here  in 
Baroda,  they  had  their  programmes,  and  scanned  the  occupants 
of  the  howclahs  very  keenly,  though  their  great  anxiety,  now 
happily  set  at  rest  without  any  manner  of  uncertainty,  was  to 
see  the  Prince.  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  Sir  R.  Meade,  and  Mr.  Mel- 
vill  were  the  only  Europeans  of  whom  they  had  ever  heard  be- 
fore, and  the  finest  sort  of  uniforms  and  most  valued  decorations 
and  orders,  surmounted  by  the  spiked  helmet,  could  not  have 
struck  a  crowd  accustomed  to  the  bright  robes  and  jewels  of 
Native  Chiefs. 

The  procession  set  out  in  single  file  to  the  famous  Resi- 
dency, some  three  miles  distant,  with  a  pomp  and  circumstance 
which  only  the  East  can  show,  for  surely  of  all  the  vehicles  on 
which  human  pride  and  state  were  ever  borne,  the  caparisoned 
elephant  is  the  grandest  and  most  striking,  and  those  of  the 
Gaekwar  excel  in  stature  and  (always  excepting  No.  3)  in 
dignity  of  deportment.  The  cavalry  which  lined  the  way,  the 
native  carriages,  the  crowds  from  the  Station  to  the  Canton- 
ments beyond  which  lay  the  Residency,  and  the  novelty  of  the 
procession,  invested  the  Prince's  entry  to  Baroda  with  unusual 
interest.  The  whole  of  the  way,  every  inch  of  it,  was  bordered 
by  a  light  trellis-work  of  bamboos  and  palm  strips,  hung  with 
lamps  and  festooned  with  bright  green  leaves  and  flowers,  and 
there  were  at  intervals  grander  arches  and  clusters  of  banners. 
It  was  astonishing  to  see  how  much  had  been  done  in  the  time. 
Due  praise  should  be  given  to  Mr.  Hill,  Engineer  to  the  Govern- 
ment, for  the  skill  with  which  he  designed  devices  and  illumina- 
tions which  made  the  road  gay  by  day  and  resplendent  at  night. 
The  people  seemed  very  comfortable,  no  sign  of  the  wretched- 
ness we  are  so  fond  of  attributing  to  Native  rule  ;  and  the  city, 
so  far  as  we  could  judge,  was  clean  and  bright  to  a  degree. 
At  the  Cantonments  the  two  Native  regiments,  the  9th  Bom- 
bay Native  Infantry  and  the  22d  Bombay  Native  Infantry, 
and  the  rest  of  the  83d  Queen's  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  their 
lines  with  bands  and  colors,  and  saluted. 

There  was  very  short  notice  of  the  visit.     The  Indian  city  is 


THE    BARODA    RESIDENCY.  1/5 

large;  the  English  station  very  small.  The  resources  were  few. 
Mr.  Melvill  only  arrived  a  day  or  two  before  the  Prince  came, 
and  Indian  hospitality  was  driven  to  its  wits'  ends,  but  not  to 
the  end  of  its  resources.  The  Residency  is  a  wretched,  tumble- 
down old  place,  with  very  small  accommodation.  The  Prince 
had  a  small  suite  on  the  ground-floor.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  had  a 
room  next  that  of  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  on  the  first  floor ; 
Major-General  Probyn  occupied  the  historical  (recent  history) 
apartment  in  which  Brigadier  Phayre's  poisoned  chalice  was 
prepared,  and  his  window  looked  out  on  the  spot  where  the 
pommelo  juice  fell  and  the  poison  was  scraped  up  ;  Lord  Ayles- 
ford  had  the  room  adjacent.  Major-General  Browne,  Colonel 
Ellis,  Dr.  Fayrer,  Mr.  Grey,  Mr.  Hall,  &c.,  lived  in  tents,  not  of 
the  best,  at  the  back  of  the  Residency,  pitched  so  as  to  form 
three  sides  of  a  square.  These  tents  and  furniture  were  sent 
up  from  Bombay.  "  Doubling  up  "  generally  was  the  order  of 
the  day  and  of  the  night. 

The  procession  arrived  at  the  Residency  in  an  hour.  There 
was  then  a  Durbar,  at  which  the  Sirdars  were  presented,  and 
the  suite  were  presented  to  the  Gaekwar.  When  the  leave-tak- 
ing came,  the  Prince  led  the  Gaekwar  to  the  entrance.  The 
elephants,  with  gold  and  silver  howdahs,  and  the  whole  of  the 
brilliant  sowaree,  were  waiting  there,  with  the  guard  of  honor 
and  the  Gaekwar's  own  escort.  He  mounted  to  his  seat,  and 
with  the  clang  of  music  and  measured  throb  of  cannon,  which 
gave  him  his  Royal  salute,  returned  to  his  palace  at  Baroda, 
some  three  miles  distant.  Then  Mrs.  and  Miss  Melvill  were 
presented  to  the  Prince,  and  the  officers  on  duty  and  at- 
tached to  the  Staff  were  invited  to  table,  and  there  was  subse- 
quently a  reception  or  levee  for  European  officers.  Before 
the  hour  fixed  upon  for  the  return  visit  to  the  Gaekwar,  the 
Prince  shot  a  few  specimens  for  the  naturalist,  in  a  small  tope 
close  to  the  house,  which  was  full  of  paroquets,  woodpeckers, 
orioles,  and  other  birds  which  were  seen  by  him  at  liberty  for 
the  first  time. 

It  was  3.30  P.  M.  when  the  Prince  set  out  to  pay  his  return 


1 76  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

visit  to  the  Maharaja.     Native  policemen  lined  the  streets,  and 
Sowars  kept  guard  at  the  crossings.     At  various  stages   there 
were  guards   of   honor  of  the   Gaekwar's    troops  —  the-  Horse 
in  leather   helmets   with   scarlet   tufts,  red-embroidered  tunics, 
breeches,  and  boots — a   uniform   devised  probably  1  y  some  of 
the  old  foreign  officers  formerly  at  his  Court ;  one  of  the  infan- 
try regiments  in  the   Highland  uniform  already  described,  which 
seems  so  curious,  and  which,  nevertheless,  suits  the  brown  faces 
wonderfully  well,  and  would  be  quite  correct  were  it  not  for  the 
ridiculous  pink  calico   tights  beneath  the  kilts.     Trumpet  flour- 
ishes, roll  of  drums,  presented  arms,  standards  lowered,  spoke  of 
ancient  discipline.     There  were  many  vestiges  of  barbaric  and 
costly  state  which  must  have  often  vexed  the  souls  of  honest 
economical  British   Residents,  and   have  caused   the  unsympa- 
thetic and  practical  British  Government  to  cut  off  slice  after  slice 
of  territory  to  satisfy  creditors  and  to  insure  payment  of  debts. 
The  city  is  curious.     There  are  drains  covered  with  wood  along 
each  side,  and  some  idea  of  a  path  for  foot-passengers,  but  there 
is  no  pavement.     The  houses  generally  consist  of  two  stories  ; 
the  ground-floor,  raised  above  the  level  of  the  pathway,  open  to 
the  front,  is  used  as  a  shop  or  a   store  ;  the  first-floor  has   a 
veranda  and  a  balcony  of  carved  wood,  which   is   painted  in 
some  bright  color — red,  yellow  or  sea-green — so  that  the  effect  is 
very  brilliant.     The  Hindoo  temples  are  small  and  unobtrusive. 
The   shop  fronts  and  verandas  were  filled  with  Mahrattas  in 
their  large  red  turbans  and  white  robes,  or  Guzeratees  from  the 
up-country  in  smaller  head-dresses.     A  parti-colored  crowd,  two 
or  three  deep,  sat  or  stood — keen-eyed,  curious,  and  quiet — 
along  the  mile  and  a  half  of  winding  streets  through  which  the 
cortege  passed.     There  were   respectful  salaams,  and  now  and 
then   some   Parsees  cheered ;  but  the  attitude  of  the  multitude 
was  one  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  characterize  if  it  were 
judged  by  European  standards.     Few  women  were  visible,  but 
abundance  of  children   of  both  sexes,  in  the  lightest  costumes, 
were  held  up  by  the  men  to  see  the  show.     The  Prince  passed 
under  the  Clock-Tower  gateway,  which  was  the  place  (Tarmes 


THE    GAEKWARS    COURT. 

during  the  troubles  that  followed  the  deposition  of  Mumar  Rao. 
It  is  placed  at  the  intersection  of  the  two  main  streets,  and  is 
still  occupied  as  a  military  post.  Soon  afterwards  the  proces- 
sion came  out  on  the  road  to  the  old  Palace,  and  defiled  through 
a  triumphal  arch  (of  which  there  were  many  on  the  route), 
near  which  the  children  of  the  Gaekwar's  schools  were  drawn 
up.  The  Palace  is  one  of  the  ordinary  residences  of  Native 
Princes,  built  under  European  inspiration,  and  presents  a  poor 
front ;  but  there  was  a  great  display  of  mirrors  and  lustres  in- 
side, and  the  attendants  were  in  fine  costumes. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  Prince,  he  found  the  little  Gaekwar 
with  all  his  jewels  on,  Sir  Madhava  Rao  in  studied  plainness  of 
attire,  with  a  background  of  Sirdars  and  shrewd-looking  Parsees, 
waiting  to  receive  him  on  the  steps  at  the  portico.  The  Maha- 
raja is,  as  one  of  the  suite  said,  "  a  boy  such  as  one  may  see  all 
over  the  place  " — with  soft  mild  eyes,  and  sad  subdued  look. 
There  were  three  boys  of  the  stock  of  the  Gaekwars  picked  out 
for  adoption  in  the  succession  to  Mulhar  Rao  by  Sir  R.  Meade, 
and  after  three  interviews  the  widow  of  Khandee  Rao  selected 
him.  One  wonders  if  he  is  as  happy  in  his  diamonds  and  em- 
eralds as  he  was  when  he  was  running  about  his  native  village. 
The  Maharaja  led  the  Prince  up  stairs  to  a  room,  hung  with  large 
chandeliers,  with  colored  prints  on  the  walls.  They  sat  side  by 
side  for  a  time,  during  which  the  Prince  talked  pleasantly  through 
Sir  Madhava  Rao's  interpretation.  The  Sirdars,  Ministers,  and 
officials  under  the  Native  Administration  were  presented,  and 
offered  nuzzurs,  which  were  duly  touched  and  remitted.  A 
wreath  was  placed  round  the  Prince's  neck  by  the  Maharaja — uttur 
and  pan  went  round — and  the  Prince  was  led  by  his  host  to  the 
door  of  the  Maharanee's  apartment.  Jumnabaae  is  an  exceedingly 
engaging  and  graceful  lady,  not  yet  thirty  years  of  age,  with  a 
pleasant  face,  bright  eyes,  and  agreeable  smile.  Her  hands 
and  feet  are  particularly  small  and  well-shaped.  The  former 
were  not  overdone  with  rings,  but  her  Highness  would  probably 
not  be  able  to  take  a  long  walk  by  reason  of  toe-rings,  one  of 
which,  on  her  left  foot,  seemed  to  exercise  some  control  over  her 
8*  12 


1 78  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

motions.  She  was  unveiled,  but  from  time  to  time  she  drew,  as 
if  instinctively,  her  tissue  shawl  over  her  head.  She  held  her 
little  daughter,  "  who,"  said  the  Maharanee,  "  would  have  been 
Gaekwar  had  she  been  a  boy,"  by  her  knee,  and  the  child's  gov- 
erness, an  English  lady,  sat  a  little  behind  her.  The  Maharanee 
was  delighted  with  Bombay  ;  honored  beyond  expression  by  the 
Prince's  visit;  hoped  he  would  like  Baroda;  and  was  much  in- 
terested in  the  success  of  his  shooting-party,  as  to  which  she  had 
given  orders.  The  Prince  presented  his  suite,  and  started  for  the 
Agga,  or  the  arena  for  wild-beast  combats,  where  he  arrived 
shortly  before  5  p.  M. 

The  Agga  is  an  enclosure  of  180  yards  long  by  60  yards 
broad,  with  walls  20  feet  high.  These  walls  are  pierced  by  low 
archways,  into  which  the  men  engaged  may  retreat  in  case  of  being 
attacked  by  the  animals.  At  the  western  extremity  there  is  a 
Grand  Stand  three  stories  high.  On  entering  the  gateway  two 
elephants  were  seen,  one  tied  to  the  wall  opposite  the  Grand 
Stand,  and  another  chained  to  the  wall  on  the  right  of  it.  As 
soon  as  the  Prince  had  taken  his  place  in  the  front,  with  the 
Gaekwar  by  his  side,  two  wrestlers,  quite  naked  except  at  the 
waist,  advanced,  and  after  profound  salaams,  grappled.  The 
pulwans  of  Baroda  are  not  so  famous  as  those  of  Lucknow,  but 
these  fellows  were  masses  of  brown  muscle — a  little  abdominous, 
perhaps  —  but  still  of  enormous  power.  Other  athletes  came 
into  the  field,  so  that  there  were  at  first  four,  and  afterwards  six, 
groups  of  flesh — animated  Laocoons — striving,  writhing,  and 
rolling  about  in  the  dust,  in  such  knotted  coils  of  arms  and  legs 
as  baffled  discrimination.  They  were  matched  so  well  that  only 
once  did  the  applause  of  the  spectators  announce  a  victory 
and  a  defeat — the  great  feat  of  strength  by  which  one  of  the 
wrestlers,  uprooting  his  antagonist  from  the  ground,  prizes  him 
over  his  knee,  and  throws  him  over  so  that  both  shoulders  touch 
the  ground.  The  wrestlers  advanced  to  the  stand,  salaamed 
to  the  Prince  and  Gaekwar,  and  retired.  One  of  the  elephants 
was  then  let  go,  and  we  saw  that  its  tusks  had  been  sawn  off 
short,  and  that  it  was  a  beast  of  infinite  bonhomie  of  countenance. 


SCENES    IN   THE   ARENA.  179 

But  it  had  a  temper  of  its  own.  After  some  insults  from  the 
people  in  a  safety  arch,  which  seemed  to  exercise  it  amazingly, 
and  which  it  resented  by  trying  to  tear  down  the  wall,  it  was 
provoked  beyond  endurance  by  others  who  came  out  with  spears 
and  red  cloths.  It  suddenly  trumpeted,  and  made  a  charge, 
which  sent  the  recreants  flying  into  their  recesses  again.  Then 
it  stood,  pondering  on  the  situation,  in  the  centre  of  the  arena. 
While  it  looked  at  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  other  distinguished 
visitors,  as  if  itwere  conjecturing  what  they  thought  of  it  all,  the 
elephant  at  the  other  end  of  the  enclosure  was  let  go  free.  When 
the  elephants  perceived  each  other,  they  advanced  kindly  as 
if  to  inquire  after  each  other's  health.  But  the  persecuting 
band  who  followed  them  would  not  have  it  so.  By  shouts,  lance- 
pricks,  and  other  aggravating  acts,  they  inspired  the  beasts  with 
the  belief  that  they  ought  to  be  enemies.  They  accordingly  put 
down  their  heads  and  fought ;  but  these  sagacious  creatures 
were,  I  think,  only  making  believe.  They  merely  put  on  the 
gloves  and  had  a  few  rounds.  Certainly  there  was  hard  hitting 
and  tremendous  head-collisions  ;  tusks  rattled  and  clattered,  pro- 
boscis met  proboscis  in  intricate  convolutions,  the  vast  hulls  shook 
under  the  strain  of  combat ;  whether  they  really  meant  mischief  or 
not  it  was  impossible  to  determine,  for  at  the  critical  moment  when 
they  had  tied  their  trunks  up  in  a  knot,  men  with  squibs  at  the 
end  of  spears  let  them  off  under  the  combatants'  bellies.  I  am 
sorry  to  say  the  heroes  bolted.  After  a  pause,  however,  the  com- 
bat was  renewed.  The  elephant  which  seemed  to  have  had  the 
worst  of  it  in  the  last  bout,  by  some  dexterous  manoeuvre  now 
managed  to  turn  his  enemy's  flank,  and  butted  him  on  the  quar- 
ter and  stern  with  such  force  that — amid  the  cheers  of  the  crowd 
— he  turned  and  fled,  smitten  heavily,  and  "rammed"  by  his 
pursuer  till  he  was  brought  up  by  the  wall,  when  the  men  with 
rockets  and  squibs  came  in  once  more,  and  the  combatants  were 
separated.  The  manner  of  securing  the  elephant  when  the  fight 
is  at  an  end  is  clever.  While  his  attention  is  directed  to  men 
in  front,  who  menace  and  tantalize  him  -with  spears  and  flags, 
others,  armed  with  large  iron  clamps,  watching  their  opportunity 


ISO  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

behind,  clip  first  one  and  then  the  other  of  his  hind  legs  in  the 
implements,  over  which  they  lasso  strong  ropes,  so  that  the  beast 
is  unable  to  run,  and  is  thus  led  off  to  his  quarters.  The  pret- 
tiest little  entr'acte  followed  this  combat.  Just  as  a  third  elephant 
was  led  out  and  provoked  to  a  proper  state  of  indignation  and 
temper,  a  lithe  compact  sowar,  mounted  on  a  croppy  little  horse, 
with  a  jerky  action  and  a  jaunty  step,  came  into  the  arena.  The 
cavalier  perked  up  to  the  beast, which  stood  balancing  itself,  now  on 
one  leg,  then  on  another,  and  flopping  its  proboscis  about  angrily. 
There  is  a  strong  antipathy  between  horse  and  elephant,  but  the 
horseman  cantered  his  steed  close  up  to  the  brute  in  a  very  con- 
fidential manner.  The  elephant  appeared  to  take  no  notice  of 
the  sowar,  who  had  not  even  a  whip,  and  guided  his  horse  by 
hand  and  the  stirrup-irons.  Suddenly  the  elephant  uttered  a  short, 
sharp  trumpet-note,  and  made  a  furious  rush  at  his  tormentor. 
It  seemed  as  if  man  and  horse  must  die.  The  end  of  the  pro- 
boscis was  all  but  on  the  rider's  shoulder ;  a  murmur  ran  round 
the  arena — a  cry  of  horror — which  was  changed  into  a  burst  of 
applause — as  the  sower,  with  a  plunge  of  the  sharp  edge  of  his 
stirrup-iron,  shot  away,  wheeled  round,  and,  before  the  elephant 
could  get  himself  together  again,  was  capering  provokingly  at 
his  flank.  Again  and  again  the  scene  was  repeated,  till  the  ele- 
phant was  not  able  to  run,  but  the  sowar  was  never  so  near  cap- 
ture afterwards.  Every  one  admired  his  perfect  coolness  and 
horsemanship  ;  and  when  the  elephant  was  fairly  tired  out,  his 
victor  rode  away  among  renewed  plaudits.  Not  always  is  it  so  : 
sometimes  the  rider  and  horse  are  overthrown ;  and  we  were  told 
of  horses  trampled  to  death,  and  of  riders  only  escaping  by  get- 
ting between  the  elephants'  tusks.  Khandee  Rao,  the  Gaekwar 
who  preceded  Mulhar  Rao,  was  very  fond  of  these  sports,  and, 
like  the  Roman  Emperor,  whom  he  resembled,  it  is  said,  in  other 
ways,  he  would  often  descend  into  the  arena  and  contend  with 
his  pulwans.  I  dare  say  they  were  perfect  courtiers,  and  knew 
better  than  to  "  grass  the  Gaekwar." 

The  bar  across  the  end  gateway  was  now  lowered,  and  half-a- 
dozen  men  came  in,  tugging  at  a  rhinoceros.     He  had  heavy 


SCENES    IN    THE   ARENA.  l8l 

chains  on  his  legs,  and  was  "roped  "  before  and  behind — a  cap- 
tive Behemoth.  However,  this  was  all  "make-believe,"  too,  for 
when  the  ropes  were  slipped  off,  the  unwieldy  thing  toddled 
about  grunting  like  a  pig,  and  looked  as  if  he  wished  to  follow 
his  keepers.  Presently  another  rhinoceros  was  introduced  to 
his  fellow.  Two  merchants  could  not  be  more  amiable  on  first 
introduction  on  'Change.  They  came  nose  to  nose,  as  if  to  ex- 
change civilities,  but  the  attendants  began  to  excite  ill-feelings 
by  poking  and  patting  them  alternately,  and  by  horrid  yells,  and 
one  rhinoceros — lowering  his  head  till  his  chin,  or  lower  jaw, 
rested  on  the  sand — made  a  thrust  with  his  snout  at  his  friend. 
The  blow  was  hard,  as  the  noise  it  made  testified,  but  it  was 
delivered  on  an  adamantine  front.  It  was  at  once  returned — the 
crowd  were  delighted.  There  were  quick  encounters,  blow  for 
blow,  till  it  occurred  suddenly  to  the  first  rhinoceros  that  it  was 
nonsense  to  get  heated  and  worried  all  for  nothing,  so  he  turned 
round  and  made  off  as  hard  as  he  could  lumber  towards  the  gate- 
way. But  the  bar  was  down  ;  his  backers  and  friends  reproached 
him  for  his  want  of  spirit ;  he  was  again  goaded  up  to  his  antag- 
onist, who  was  standing  as  though  he  too  were  wondering  what  it 
all  meant,  when  he  received  a  treacherous  dig  in  the  side,  which 
made  him  quiver  from  stem  to  stern.  Then  he  turned,  and  the 
brutes,  with  levelled  rams,  had  a  keen  bout,  in  which  they  were 
deluged  with  cold  water  to  keep  up  their  courage  by  the  attend- 
ants, till  the  former  runaway  performed  his  retrograde  move- 
ment again,  to  the  amusement  of  the  audience,  nor  could  he  be 
induced  by  threats,  abuse,  flattering  fondlings,  and  abundance  of 
cold  water  to  renew  the  fight.  It  was  evidently  a  relief  to  the 
less  cowardly  when  his  antagonist  ran  off,  and  he  did  not  show 
any  inclination  for  pursuit.  Exeunt  two  degraded  rhinoceroses, 
for  neither  could  be  described  as  "  game  "  or  heroic  ! 

Two  buffaloes,  which  next  stepped  into  the  ring,  were  animals 
of  very  different  mettle.  They  rushed  to  the  encounter.  The 
arena  rang  with  the  clatter  of  their  horns.  It  was  real  fighting  ; 
with  strained  hind-quarters,  heaving  sides  and  lashing  tails  they 
strove,  head  to  head,  with  passionate  fury.  But  equals  in  rage, 


1 82  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

they  were  not  matched  in  strength ;  the  smaller  gave  way,  and 
was  pushed  back,  slowly  at  first,  and  then  at  a  run,  till  he  fairly 
turned  his  flank.  In  an  instant  he  was  hurled  on  his  back,  for 
the  conquering  buffalo  dashed  at  the  exposed  side,  and,  putting 
down  his  head  below  the  belly  of  his  enemy,  butted  him  right 
over.  There  was  no  lack  of  courage  on  the  part  of  the  other,  for, 
worsted  as  he  was,  he  got  up  and  renewed  the  conflict,  but,  after 
one  desperate  rally,  in  which  the  result  was  not  doubtful  and  the 
damage  to  the  defeated  buffalo  not  slight,  he  was — not  inglori- 
ously — driven  off  the  ground.  An  exhibition  of  fighting  rams 
followed  ;  but  the  champion,  covered  with  garlands  and  brocade, 
was  considered  too  good  for  anything  on  the  ground,  and  the 
contest  was  left  to  rams  which  had  their  spurs  to  win.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  timidity  of  the  sheep  in  their  engagements. 
The  fury  of  their  charges,  the  tremendous  cracks  with  which 
their  heads  met  together,  were  worthy,  we  are  told,  of  great 
praise,  and  I  certainly  would  sooner  see  them  than  a  couple  of 
prize-fighters  at  home,  or  than  the  pugilists  with  iron  knuckle- 
dusters who  exhibit  sometimes  at  Baroda.  Libra  would  not  in- 
cline towards  one  Aries  rather  than  to  the  other,  and  the  rams 
were  led  away.  When  these  contests  were  over,  some  of  the 
zoological  curiosities,  in  which  Orientals  as  well  as  other  people 
delight,  were  introduced.  I  believe  the  Prince  might  have  had 
the  whole  collection  had  he  expressed  any  desire  on  the  subject. 
A  nylghau  driven  in  harness — not  very  tractable  ;  a  pair  of  black 
bucks,  harnessed  and  drawing  a  small  carriage  ;  parrots  in 
cages,  &c.,  were  paraded  in  front  of  the  Grand  Stand  for  the 
Prince's  inspection  ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  a  Royal  Bengal 
tiger  was  led  out,  lank,  fiery-eyed,  and  savage,  uttering  growls, 
but  scarcely  capable  of  mischief,  for  hind-legs  and  fore-legs  and 
body  were  bound  with  ropes,  held  by  ten  men  at  arms'  length 
on  both  sides.  Nevertheless,  he  was  not  by  any  means  pleasant 
to  look  upon,  and  did  strike  out  viciously  with  his  right  fore-leg, 
and  very  nearly  laid  hold  of  one  of  his  guides. 

The  Prince  now  rose,  thanked  the  Gaekwar  and  Sir  Madha- 
va  Rao,  and  returned  to  the  Residency.     Night  after  night  one 


OFF    FOR   A    DAY'S    SPORT.  183 

lives  in  a  constant  state  of  illumination.  The  consumption  of 
oil  at  Bombay,  Poonah,  and  Baroda  must  have  been  wonderful. 
Chinese  lanterns  and  myriads  of  "  buttees  "  made  the  lines  of 
the  Cantonments  and  the  Stations  almost  bright  as  day,  and  the 
routes  from  the  Residency  to  the  City,  and  to  all  the  camps, 
blazed  with  lights  suspended  from  trellis-work  of  bamboos.  After 
an  interval  devoted  to  business  and  a  change  of  dress,  the  Prince 
and  suite  drove  over  to  the  lines  of  the  gth  Native  Infantry, 
where  he  was  received  with  due  honor  by  Colonel  Thompson 
and  his  officers,  and  dined  with  the  regiment,  which  seemed  very 
sensible  of  the  honor.  It  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  a 
Native  corps  had  ever  entertained  an  Heir-apparent,  and  every 
effort  was  made  to  render  it  agreeable. 

November  20. — The  cold  was  felt  rather  keenly  last  night 
by  the  outsiders.  In  the  original  programme  the  Prince  was  to 
have  gone  from  Calicut  for  Coimbatore  early  this  morning.  Alas  ! 
how  "  the  best-laic!  schemes  of  mice  and  men  gang  aft  aglee  !  " 
We  were  starting  for  the  deer  preserve  of  the  Gaekwar  for  a 
day's  sport.  Noises  outside  at  4  A.  M. ;  lights  in  the  tents  at 
5  A.  M.  -,  shooting-clothes  in  request,  and  much  tribulation  among 
native  servants  unfamiliar  with  the  language  of  detail.  At  5.30 
A.  M.  the  members  of  the  suite  who  were  to  go  with  the  Prince  as- 
sembled at  the  Residency,  which  was  already  lively  enough,  for 
servants  were  busy  preparing  the  "  little  breakfast,"  which  in 
England  would  do  duty  for  a  big  one.  The  rays  of  the  sun  just 
slid  over  the  tops  of  the  trees  which  surround  the  building  and 
touched  the  tips  of  the  lances  of  the  escort,  and  the  bayonets  of 
the  sentries — the  sentries  of  the  83d  Europeans  being  outside  the 
line  of  the  native- Infantry.  Breakfast  was  hurried  over,  the  Gaek- 
war's  carriages  were  at  the  door,  trumpets  flourished,  the  guard 
presented  arms,  and  at  6.15  A.M.  the  Prince  and  suite  whirled 
away  in  a  cloud  of  dust  to  the  old  railway  station.  Mr.  Melvill, 
Sir  R.  Meade,  Colonel  Thompson,  Major  Bradford,  Lieut.-Colo- 
nel  Barton,  Captain  Jackson,  and  other  officers  and  officials 
accompanied  him.  The  special  train — two  saloon  carriages  and 
a  van — rattled  off  to  a  place  some  eight  miles  distant,  where  the 


184  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

Prince  was  to  begin  his  shikar.  The  line  runs  through  a  country 
of  exceeding  richness — level  as  a  billiard-table,  but  so  wooded  and 
crop-laden  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
horizon  except  where  the  tent-like  heights  of  Pounagurh,  which 
people  fondly  believe  to  be  a  Hill-station,  rose  above  the  trees. 
So  it  is  that  Baroda  city,  with  its  90,000  inhabitants,  l>ung  close 
at  hand,  is  invisible.  It  is  not  half  a  mile  from  the  line,  and 
yet  there  is  no  trace  of  smoke  or  dust  in  the  clear  sky  above  the 
human  turmoil.  There  were  not  many  of  what  are  called  "  Na- 
tives "  about,  for  they  were  at  work  in  the  fields,  which,  rich  in 
growth  of  hemp  of  extraordinary  height,  maize,  cotton  and  dhal, 
stole  away  under  cover  of  the  trees,  to  the  sea,  forty-five  miles  to 
the  West,  and  spread  far  East  to  the  confines  of  British  India. 
Social  gatherings  of  monkeys  were  much  agitated  by  the  train. 
Wayfaring  peasants  halted  to  take  the  look,  which  seems  oblig- 
atory all  over  the  world,  at  the  locomotive  and  carriages.  In 
half  an  hour  the  special  halted  at  a  station,  where  the  Kasee  Shab- 
ood-deen,  representing  the  Baroda  Durbar,  was  present  with  a 
great  gathering  of  elephants,  shikarees,  sowars,  camels  and 
oxen,  to  receive  the  Prince.  There  was  an  escort  of  the  Haik 
Pagah,  or  the  Gaekwar's  Body  Guard  in  charge  of  a  very  gayly 
dressed  young  officer,  who  would  have  made  a  sensation  at  a 
costume  ball  in  his  green  satin  robe,  and  scarlet  and  gold  cloth- 
ing. There  were  sowars  and  lancers  capering  over  the  plain  ; 
and  altogether  the  scene  was  bright  and  animated  as  eye  could 
see.  Some  half-dozen  of  Probyn's  old  Horse  were  there — 
splendid-looking  Punjaubees,  whose  eyes  flashed  with  pleasure 
as  they  recognized  their  former  leader.  To  these  were  given 
the  rifles  and  ammunition.  Five  or  six  cheetahs — I  am  not  sure 
which — surrounded  by  their  attendants,  were  standing  upright 
on  cars  drawn  by  oxen,  their  eyes  hooded,  lashing  their  lank 
sides  with  their  tails,  hissing  and  purring  by  turns  like  monster 
tabbies.  There  were  also  ugly,  fierce-looking  dogs  of  the  Per- 
sian type — half  greyhound,  half  deerhound — in  leashes,  and  eight 
falconers  with  splendid  peregrines  and  inferior  short-winged  fal- 
cons on  their  wrists.  The  Prince  inspected  the  cheetahs  with 


SHIKAR   PARTY.  185 

interest ;  one  was  taken  from  his  cart  for  closer  investigation, 
at  which  it  hissed  savagely  till  it  was  stroked  into  good-humor 
by  its  keepers. 

The  Prince  then  mounted  an  ox-cart  with  the  Duke  of  Suther- 
land, and  the  rest  of  the  suite  followed  on  similar  vehicles.  This 
mode  of  conveyance  was  intended  to  permit  the  sportsmen  to 
approach  the  black  buck,  which  are  accustomed  to  see  long  trains 
of  hackeries  or  bullock  wagons  traversing  the  fields.  The  carts 
were,  however,  too  highly  ornamented,  it  is  said,  and  the  cortege 
was  much  too  large.  The  elephants  and  sowars  halted  in  the 
rear.  The  party  then  drove  on  to  a  vast  plain  called  the  Pre- 
serve. After  a  short  time,  herds  of  black  buck  were  seen 
grazing  amid  the  cotton-grass.  They  were  much  wilder  than 
usual,  and  kept  edging  away  from  the  carts  which  were  driven  in 
a  tortuous  line,  and  worked  like  a  fleet  seeking  to  bring  an  ene- 
my to  action.  The  deer  moved  off  towards  thicker  cover. 
Black  buck  are  supposed  not  to  mind  carts,  but  they  certainly 
were  very  vigilant  on  this  occasion.  Perhaps  it  was  the  novel 
costume,  helmets,  and  London  shooting-clothes,  or  the  unusual 
length  of  the  procession,  which  set  them  on  the  alert.  At  last 
a  cheetah  was  slipped  from  the  cart  at  a  herd  some  fifty  yards 
distant,  and  singled  out  a  buck,  which  bounded  with  amazing 
springs  across  the  plain.  The  cheetah  being  distanced,  gave 
up  the  chase  after  a  dash  of  about  500  yards,  which  is  said  to  be 
about  the  longest  run  they  ever  make,  as  the  animal  generally  gives 
,  up  after  the  failure  of  his  first  rush.  The  hunters  now  divided 
and  beat  in  different  directions,  and  many  herds  of  deer  were 
again  seen,  but  they,  too,  were  very  wild.  At  last,  after  much 
manoeuvring,  a  cheetah  was  brought  sufficiently  close,  and  was 
unhooded.  It  sprang  from  the  cart  at  a  herd  and  pulled  down 
a  buck,  which  was  engaged  in  fighting  with  another,  catching  it 
fast  by  the  throat.  When  the  cheetah  seizes  buck  or  doe  the 
agony  is  short,  for  the  shikaree  runs  up,  and,  after  the  custo- 
mary ejaculation,  "  May  it  be  lawful !  "  puts  an  end,  with  keen 
blade,  to  the  victim's  struggles,  and  "  grollocks  "  it,  more  Scotico. 
The  blood  of  the  poor  deer  was  given  to  the  cheetahs,  as  a 


1 86 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 


broken-up  fox  is  the  reward  of  the  hounds.  The  sportsmen 
mounted  the  carts  again,  and  in  half  an  hour  got  near  another 
herd.  This  time  two  cheetahs  were  slipped,  and  each  pulled 
down  its  victim. 

Those    who  slip    staghounds    after    haunched    or    broken- 


THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES   IN   SHOOTING  COSTUME. 

legged  deer  in  the  Highlands  cannot  logically  charge  those  who 
follow  this  sport  with  cruelty  ;  but  it  is  not  one  which  commends 
itself  to  Europeans.  The  cheetahs  were  sent  back;  and  the 
Prince  tried  stalking,  but  it  was  with  difficulty  the  hunters  could 
get  within  a  long  shof.  The  usual  course  is  to  drive  till  deer  are 
seen,  and  then  get  out  and  walk  alongside  the  cart,  which  is 
directed  towards  the  herd,  Even  after  the  party  broke  up  into 


CHEETAHS.  l8/ 

detachments,  the  herds  were  wild  and  shy,  and  his  Royal  High- 
ness had  only  one  chance,  and  that  a  very  poor  one,  before  10 
o'clock  A.  M.  The  heat  then  became  oppressive,  but  the  Prince 
stood  the  sun  wonderfully  well,  and  marched  through  the  deep 
stuff  ns  if  he  were  used  to  it,  while  Peter  Robertson  trudged  after 
him,  thinking,  perhaps,  that  a  little  of  the  sunshine  might  well  be 
spared  for  the  valley  of  the  Dee.  Dr.  Fayrer  insisted  on  the 
virtues  of  umbrellas  and  shade,  and  at  n  A.  M.  the  sportsmen 
mounted  their  horses,  and  rode  to  the  Palace,  or  shooting-seat, 
of  Muckunpoora,  a  large  block  of  building  in  the  centre  of  a 
wide-spread  plain.  On  his  way  the  Prince  came  to  a  pool  where 
there  was  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  guarded  by  a  couple  of  little  girls, 
and,  dismounting  from  his  horse,  went  towards  them  to  get  a 
shot  at  a  Paddy  bird.  The  sight  of  a  white  man  was  too  much 
for  the  guardians  of  the  herd,  and  they  fled  across  the  marsh 
with  piteous  cries,  not  at  all  reassured  by  the  shouts  of  a  sowar 
who  was  despatched  to  comfort  them.  The  shelter  of  the  Pal- 
ace, where  breakfast  was  laid  out  in  a  room  with  thirty-six  enor- 
mous lustres  and  as  many  side-lights,  was  very  welcome. 

The  sportsmen,  perforce,  rested  till  3  p.  M.,  when  the  sun 
became  somewhat  less  powerful,  and  then  set  out  to  try  for  black 
buck.  At  5.30  P.  M.  the  Prince  returned  with  a  fine  buck,  which 
he  had  killed  at  200  yards,  and  Colonel  Ellis  with  a  doe.  The. 
day  ended  pleasantly,  if  the  sport  was  a  little  disappointing — a 
great  authority  having  promised  the  Prince  at  least  twenty  shots. 
At  6  P.  M.  the  Prince  drove  back  to  Baroda.  Sowars  and  po- 
lice patrols  were  posted  at  intervals  along  the  road,  and  a  cavalry 
escort  guarded  the  carriages.  The  Prince  arrived  at  the  Resi- 
dency, where  he  was  received  with  the  usual  honors,  at  7  P.  M., 
changed  his  shooting-dress  for  uniform,  and  dined  with  the  Col- 
onel and  officers  of  the  226.  Native  Infantry  in  the  Cantonment 
at  8  P.  M.  The  mess-room  was  very  prettily  decorated  with 
garlands,  wreaths  of  flowers,  banners  and  trophies  of  arms.  At 
one  end  of  the  table  were  some  fine  skins  of  tigers  shot  by  Col- 
onel Nuttall,  and  the  Prince  of  Wales'  plume  on  the  wall  behind 
his  Royal  Highness  was  creditable  to  the  skill  of  the  contriver, 


1 88  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

Colonel  Nuttall  proposed  the  health  of  the  Queen,  and  then  that 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  who,  after  an  expression  of  the  pleasure  he 
felt  at  meeting  the  officers,  and  an  acknowledgment  of  their 
very  gratifying  reception,  gave  the  health  of  the  regiment.  Col- 
onel Nuttall,  in  returning  thanks,  said  the  memory  of  that  night 
would  live  in  the  annals  of  the  regiment  for  generation  after 
generation.  The  grounds  around  the  mess-house  were  brilliantly 
lighted,  and  the  Cantonment  and  the  road  to  the  Residency 
illuminated. 

November  21.  —  Jackals  last  night;  parrots,  minars,  and 
crows,  aided  by  a  vigorous  sun,  early  in  the  morning,  could  not 
banish  slumber  altogether  ;  but,  tired  as  we  were  after  an  early 
turn-out  and  a  long  day,  it  was  not  easy  to  sleep.  The  "  Hook- 
umdarr  ?  "  of  the  Sepoy,  and  the  "  Who  comes  there  ? "  of  the 
British  soldier,  pierced  the  single  canvas  of  the  tents  very  per- 
sistently, and  to  aid  these  lively  influences,  there  was  a  perpetual 
tomtom-ing  and  a  tomsaha-ing  outside  Baroda.  The  coldness  of 
the  weather,  in'  comparison  with  that  at  Bombay,  set  all  the  ser- 
vants coughing  terribly.  And  so  I  saw  the  sun  rise  above  the 
trees.  Odd  creatures  of  natives,  undoing  the  turbans  they  had" 
bound  their  heads  in,  were  crawling  about  the  camp  in  the  in- 
creasing warmth,  like  half-drowned  flies  trying  to  come  to  life  • 
others,  crouched  on  their  hams,  were  cooking  their  rice  ;  others, 
petition  in  hand,  waiting  outside  the  line  of  police,  for  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  persuade  them  that  the  Prince  cannot  redress  all  their 
wrongs. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Polehampton,  stationed  here  as  Garrison 
Chaplain,  one  of  the  athletic  family  so  well  known  for  their 
prowess  as  oarsmen,  came  over  from  Cantonments  to  the  Resi- 
dency, and  the  Prince  and  suite  attended  Divine  service  in  the 
large  reception-room. 

The  Native  officers  of  the  gth  B.  N.  I.  and  of  the  22d  B.  N. 
I.  were  presented  to  the  Prince  by  their  Colonels  in  the  after- 
noon. Each  came  forward  as  his  name  was  called,  presented 
his  sword  with  the  hilt  towards  his  Royal  Highness,  who  touched 
it,  and  the  officer  then  passed  on,  making  a  military  salute,  with 


A   HORRIBLE   SURPRISE.  189 

his  hand  to  his  turban.  They  were  a  fine-looking  body  of  men, 
but  it  struck  me  that  they  were  far  too  advanced  in  years  for 
the  active  discharge  of  regimental  duties. 

At  7  P.  M.  the  Gaekwar's  carriages  were  at  the  Residency. 
Half  an  hour  later  the  Prince,  with  Sir  R.  Meade,  Mr.  Melvill, 
Sir  Bartle  Frere,  and  the  members  of  the  suite,  drove  to  the 
Palace  of  the  Mohtee  Bagh.  Perhaps  his  Royal  Highness  saw 
nothing  in  India  more  curious  than  he  witnessed  on  the  way. 
Outside  the  Cantonments  there  was  a  bridge,  spanned  by  trium- 
phal arches  most  brilliantly  illuminated.  Men  holding  blazing 
torches  stood  along  the  parapets.  But  placed  at  the  corners, 
and  perched  on  stages  and  towers  along  the  battlements,  were 
the  most  grotesque  and  terrible  things  I  ever  beheld  out  of  a 
dream.  They  looked  like  plaster  statues.  From  beneath  glisten- 
ing tiaras  or  bonnets,  wigs  of  snaky  hair  flowed  over  opaque 
white  faces,  which  were  set  on  tinselled  bodies  decked  with 
wings  of  scarlet,  picked  out  with  gold  and  silver  tinsel,  which 
projected  from  the  shoulders.  Dresses  resembling  Elizabethan 
sacques,  of  brocade  and  tinsel,  concealed  all  shape  or  form.  In 
the  inanimate  hands  were  held  stiffly  bouquets,  fans,  swords  or 
lances ;  but  we  started  with  horror  when  we  saw  the  eyes — 
veritable  coals  of  fire,  set  in  those  white  stony  faces  of  the  wild- 
est aspect — turn  as  we  passed  them.  Some  thought  the  spectacle 
ludicrous — to  me  it  was  horrible.  It  seems  that  on  such  occa- 
sions young  people  of  the  lowest  castes  dress  themselves  up  thus 
at  the  expense  of  the  Native  Court,  and  keep  their  finery  as 
perquisites  by  right.  Every  road  was  marked  out  by  lamps. 
The  very  trees  of  the  groves  adjacent  were  hung  with  lamps. 
There  were  lamps  before  all  the  houses.  Lamps  were  strewed 
broadcast  over  the  fields.  There ''were  ornamental  towers  and 
triumphal  arches  blazing  with  lamps.  Chinese  lanterns  innu- 
merable swayed  wherever  they  could  be  hung.  Behind  these 
lights  stood  a  silent,  solemn,  brown-faced  crowd  ;  and  the  effect 
of  these  lights  on  enormous  masses  of  white  clothed  figures  pro- 
duced combinations  to  drive  an  artist  to  despair.  When  one 
thinks  that  for  all  that  distance,  through  a  city  where  the 


THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

authority  01  the  Empress's  Government  has  been  so  very  sternly 
and,  as  many  think,  unjustly  asserted,  the  Prince  passed  almost 
within  reach  of  an  arm  outstretched  from  the  roadway,  and  that 
not  a  word  of  offence  or  gesture  indicative  of  disrespect  on  the 
part  of  those  myriads  could  be  heard  or  seen,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  the  people  of  Baroda  are,  at  all  events,  well- 
mannered. 

Once  more  we  saw  the  Baroda  Highlanders,  the  Baroda 
Horse,  the  gold  and  silver  guns,*  and  the  beautiful  carriages  of 
the  Maharanee  Jumnabaae,  drawn  by  magnificent  oxen,  with 
gilt  and  silvered  horns,  covered  with  trappings  of  gold  and 
silver  tissue.  The  G'aekwar's  band  played  "  God  save  the 
Queen  ; "  his  artillery  fired  a  salute,  his  troops  presented  arms. 
The  Gaekwar,  Sir  Madhava  Rao,  Shab-ood-deen,  and  the  Minis- 
ters received  the  Prince  on  alighting  at  the  steps.  Unreservedly, 
trustingly,  the  Prince,  followed  by  his  handful  of  friends,  passed 
into  the  Palace  among  the  masses  of  swarthy  retainers  of  the 
Court,  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  with  the  hand  of  the  Gaekwar  in 
his  own.  As  a  divertissement  before  dinner,-  the  company  were 
invited  to  inspect  the  Crown  jewels,  laid  out  on  three  tables  in 
an  adjoining  room.  They  were  well  worthy  the  admiration  of 
those  who  had  such  an  opportunity  of  seeing  concentrated  riches. 
Let  me  tell  a  story.  The  late  Gaekwar  was  fond  of  jewels. 
There  came  a  merchant  with  certain  precious  stones,  valued  by 
him  at  90,0007.  The  Gaekwar  wanted  money.  So,  said  he,  "  I 
will  buy  the  jewels  ;  and  if  you  give  me  30,0007.  down,  I  will 
give  you  an  order  for  120,000?.  on  the  Treasury."  The  jeweller 
agreed ;  he  gave  the  Gaekwar  the  money,  and  he  handed  him 
over  the  jewels,  for  which  he  got  a  receipt  and  an  order  on  the 
public  purse  for  i2o,ooo/.  When  the  Gaekwar  was  removed, 
the  jewels  could  not  be  found,  and  the  jeweller  is  now  pressing 
the  Baroda  Government  for  the  payment  of  his  little  bill.  I  fear 
he  is  not  likely  to  get  it. 

When   dinner  was  announced,  the  Prince  led  Mrs.  Melvill 

*  See  Notes. 


THE   GAEKWARS    PALACE.  IQI 

down  stairs  to  a  long  narrow  pavilion  in  the  garden.  The  dinner 
was  in  the  European  fashion, — Baroda  fashion  in  the  old  days 
was  said  to  be  apt  to  disagree  with  one, — and  it  was  not  very 
long,  which  was  a  mercy.  Towards  the  end  Sir  Maclhava  Rao 
appeared,  leading  in  the  Gaekwar.  The  Prince  rose  and  made 
room  for  him  by  his  side,  Sir  Madhava  Rao  standing  at  the 
back  of  his  chair.  After  a  short  conversation,  Sir  Maclhava,  in 
the  name  of  the  Maharaja  and  Maharanee,  proposed,  in  English, 
the  health  of  the  Queen,  which  was  drunk  with  all  honors,  and 
next  gave  that  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  Prince,  in  returning 
thanks,  expressed  the  pleasure  he  felt  at  being  in  Baroda,  and 
his  gratification  at  the  cordiality  of  his  reception.  He  thanked 
the  Maharaja  and  the  Maharanee  for  their  kindness,  and  could 
assure  them  he  would  never  forget  his  visit.  The  Maharaja  was 
yet  very  young,  but  he  had  a  great  career  before  him.  He 
predicted  that  the  Maharaja,  inspired  by  the  able  counsels  of  Sir 
Madhava  Rao,  would  devote  himself  to  promoting  the  welfare  of 
his  people,  and  would  exert  himself  to  develop  the  resources  of 
the  country  he  was  called  on  to  govern,  so  as  to  insure  the  con- 
tinuance of  friendly  relations  between  the  two  Governments.  He 
gave  the  health  of  the  Maharaja  and  the  Maharanee.  Sir  Mad- 
hava, in  reply,  said  the  Maharaja  and  the  Maharanee  requested 
him  to  return  their  most  grateful  thanks  for  the  manner  in  which 
their  health  had  been  proposed  and  responded  to.  They  cer- 
tainly regarded  that  as  the  happiest  moment  of  their  lives.  Long 
had  they  been  gazing  on  photographs  of  English  Royalty.,  It 
was  now  their  felicity  to  see  that  Prince  who  was  heir  to  a 
sceptre  whose  beneficent  power  and  influence  were  felt  in  every 
quarter  of  the  globe ;  which  dispelled  darkness,  diffused  light, 
paralyzed  the  tyrant's  hand,  shivered  the  manacles  of  the  slave, 
extended  the  bounds  of  freedom,  accelerated  the  happiness  and 
elevated  the  dignity  of  the  human  race.  They  were  grateful  that 
the  Prince  had  come  from  his  distant  northern  home,  traversing 
seas  and  oceans,  as  the  gracious  messenger  of  a  gracious  Queen. 
He  had  come  to  inspect  an  empire  founded  by  the  heroism  and 
sustained  by  the  statesmanship  of  England  j  to  witness  the 


IQ2  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

spectacle  of  indigenous  principalities  relying  more  securely  on 
British  justice  than  could  mighty  nations  on  their  embattled 
hosts.  He  would  be  greeted  everywhere  with  enthusiastic  loy- 
alty and  fervent  devotion  on  account  of  his  illustrious  mother, 
and  on  account  of  his  exalted  position  ;  of  the  motives  which 
prompted  the  visit,  and  of  his  own  right  Royal  affability  and 
graciousness.  His  visit  to  Baroda  could  never  be  forgotten, — 
never  could  fade  in  their  memory.  The  occasion  would  be  com- 
memorated by  history,  and  would  ever  be  associated  with  reno- 
vated strength  and  renewed  stability  of  the  State.  He  had  only 
to  add  a  fervent  prayer  that  their  Royal  guest  would  complete 
his  progress  to  his  satisfaction,  and  that  he  might  have  reason 
to  regard  with  peculiar  favor  the  weighty  interests  of  the  Princes 
and  peoples  of  India  ;  that  he  might  carry  back  to  his  Empress 
mother,  and  to  the  British  nation  in  general,  most  gratifying 
messages  of  loyalty  to  and  attachment .  on  the  part  of  divers 
nations,  professing  different  creeds,  differing  even  in  color  and 
costume,  but  united  in  gratitude  for  the  benefits  of  British  rule 
and  influence. 

After  dinner,  the  Prince,  Gaekwar,  ladies,  and  company 
returned  to  the  Palace,  where  a  clever  performer  played  on  a 
simple  apparatus  of  cups  of  different  sizes  filled  partially  with 
water,  to  an  acompaniment  of  zithers.  Two  girls  afterwards 
sung  characteristic  music,  and  there  was  dancing  of  no  great 
merit,  although  the  performers,  it  was  said,  were  highly  esteemed. 
Coffee  was  served,  and  there  was  a  display  of  beautiful  fireworks. 
At  10.30  P.  M.  the  Prince  paid  a  visit  to  the  Maharanee,  and 
expressed  his  pleasure  at  the  visit,  and  his  gratification  at  the 
sporting  arrangements.  The  Maharanee  was  evidently  greatly 
pleased  at  the  Prince's  expressions,  and  was  very  gracious  to  the 
suite.  She  came  out  with  the  Gaekwar,  and  bade  them  good- 
by  at  the  steps  of  the  Palace. 

The  Prince  drove  to  the  Station  at  11.25  P.  M.,  where  a 
special  train  was  waiting  to  convey  the  party  to  the  shooting- 
ground  south  of  Mehmoodabad.  Mr.  Shepherd,  Collector  of 
Kaira,  a  famous  shot,  was  charged  with  the  arrangements. 


ON    THE    SHOOTING-GROUND.  IQ3 

Those  who  were  not  to  go  with  his  Royal  Highness,  or  who 
were  excused  by  him,  returned  to  the  camp,  and  made  the  most 
of  their  time  next  day. 

November  22.  —  The  Duke  of  Sutherland  and  Mr.  Grey 
went  by  special  train  to  Ahmedabad  with  Colonel  Barton,  and 
greatly  enjoyed  their  trip  to  that  ancient  city,  and  to  its  monu- 
ments and  temples.  The  nights  are  cool,  if  the  Bombay  standard 
be  accepted  ;  but  the  heat  in  the  tents  was  of  an  aggressive 
character,  and  drove  the  thermometer  up  to  88°  at  n  A.  M.  In 
reality,  shooting  in  the  open  is  not  so  trying,  although  it  may  be 
more  dangerous,  than  writing  or  working  in  the  shade,  even  at  a 
considerable  reduction  of  temperature.  Just  as  the  sun  rose,  the 
Prince  and  his  party  got  out  of  the  train  prepared  for  immediate 
action.  There  were  elephants,  camels,  ponies,  tongas  or  country 
carts,  waiting  for  the  sportsmen,  a  capital  set  of  beaters,  and  a 
fine  stretch  of  country  under  such  crops  as  quails  affect — jute, 
bagrie,  &c.  It  was  not  long  before  the  fusillade  began ;  quail 
rose  and  dropped  rapidly ;  but  it  was  not  always  easy  to  find 
the  birds  in  the  thick  green  crops.  There  were  three  kinds — 
the  grey,  the  rain,  and  the  button  quail.  One  of  the  party  killed 
a  peacock,  and  now  and  then  there  were  partridges  and  hares. 
The  Prince  made  a  large  contribution  in  the  shape  of  a  sarus 
(crane),  which  was  found  near  some  swampy  ground,  to  the 
collection  which  Mr.  Bartlett  is  preparing.  About  10  A.  M.  the 
bag  was  found  to  consist  of  in  quail  and  sundries.  The  Prince 
and  party  then  rode  to  an  old  Temple,  beautifully  situated  over 
the  river,  where  they  found  breakfast.  The  special  train  was 
reached  at  noon,  and  at  1.30  P.  M.  the  Prince  arrived  at  the 
Residency.  Then  there  was  a  rclache  of  two  hours  for  lunch, 
and  change  of  clothes  for  the  pig-sticking  expedition  to  Dubka, 
some  eighteen  miles  south  of  Baroda.  The  party  drove  in  open 
carriages  to  the  ground,  where  they  dined,  and  slept  in  two 
travellers'  bungalows.  The  road  was  carefully  guarded  and 
patrolled,  and  the  quarters  were  protected  against  intrusion  for 
the  night. 

November  23. — The  pig-stickers  were  up  early,  and  rode  off 

9  J3 


194  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

to  try  their  'prentice  hands  at  the  most  popular  of  Indian  wild 
sports  :  but  the  crops  were  very  thick,  and  somehow  or  other 
the  pigs  did  not  show  as  it  was  expected  they  would.  Some 
good  boars  broke,  and  went  away ;  but  at  last  the  Prince  had  a 
chance  of  "getting  his  spear,"  as  it  is  called,  and  killed  a  pig. 

The  Duke  of  Sutherland,  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  and  I  took  a 
drive  through  Baroda.  The  streets  were  filled  with  bullock-carts 
and  foot-passengers  ;  consequently  the  yelling  of  the  official  in 
scarlet  behind  our  carraige  was  incessant  and  deafening.  We 
visited  the  potters'  quarters,  where  the  manufacturers  were  work- 
ing their  primitive  wheels,  turning  out  earthenware  chatties  at  i 
pie  each.  One  told  us  he  could  make  120  in  the  day,  all  told, 
which  would  give  him  more  than  3^.,  but  out  of  that  he  would 
have  to  pay  for  fire  for  baking,  and  for  clay.  Nothing  could  be 
more  quiet,  civil  and  courteous  than  the  demeanor  of  the  crowd. 
We  drove  by  an  ancient  crenellated  brick  wall,  with  round  tow- 
ers and  casemates,  from  which  protruded  the  muzzles  of  iron 
cannon — a  work  older  than  the  Mahrattas.  So  on  to  a  magnifi- 
cent tank,  500  yards  square,  where  elephants  were  bathing, 
people  washing  and  drawing  water,  the  surface  covered  with  rich 
green  scum,  broken  by  the  gambols  of  fish  and  water-serpents. 
It  is  12  feet  deep,  and  has  not  been  drained  nor  cleared  for 
many  years.  The  priest  of  the  Hindoo  Temple  near  at  hand 
came  out  and  invited  us  to  enter.  The  inner  idol  was  not  shown, 
but  in  the  outer  shrine  we  could  see  the  image  of  a  cow  or  ox 
covered  with  gold  tissue.  There  were  many  Brahmins  inside. 
Though  some  had  frowns  on  their  brows,  they  were  civil. 
One  elderly  priest  told  us  there  was  a  sermon  and  service,  by 
reason  of  a  foundation  from  Khandee  Rao,  open  to  all,  every 
Monday  ;  and  he  pointed  out  a  lad  of  eighteen  as  the  best  of 
the  preachers.  Our  guide  showed  at  the  end  that  he  was  as  well 
up  in  asking  a  fee  as  if  he  were  a  true  British  verger.  Driving 
back  we  skirted  the  palace  of  Bhow  Scindia,  the  luckless 
minister  whom  the  deposed  Gaekwar  is  said  to  have  clone  to 
death.  The  irons  and  manacles  forged  by  Mulhar  Rao's  orders 
for  his  brother's  favorite  and  premier  now  lie  in  the  Residency. 


RETURN    TO    BOMBAY.  1 95 

When  we  are  told  that  Bhow  Scindia  had  nothing  to  drink  but 
salt  water  and  pepper,  in  equal  proportions,  that  he  wore  these 
chains  and  lived  for  fifteen  days  on  such  diet,  it  must  be  admit- 
ted, by  those  who  believe  the  story,  that  he  had,  at  all  events,  a 
very  fine  constitution.  We  passed  next  through  the  quarter  of 
well-to-do  citizens,  and  observed  strong  police  stations  and 
guards  as  well  as  mounted  men  on  guard  at  various  places.  It 
struck  me  that  the  Shroffs  of  .the  beau  quartier  regarded  the 
strangers  with  less  friendly  eyes  than  the  poorer  classes,  who 
were,  however,  negative  in  their  demeanor.  Some  of  the  fat, 
sleek  people  sitting  before  their  money-bags  were  absolutely 
scowling.  Perhaps  they  had  bad  news  of  Turkish  or  Egyptian 
securities.  The  hunting-party  returned  in  the  afternoon,  and  the 
Prince  received  deputations  and  addresses  from  Ahmedabad  and 
Surat.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Surat,  which  possesses  interest- 
ing remains  of  the  early  representatives  of  British  enterprise,  was 
left  unnoticed,  and  that  the  mosques,  tombs,  temples  of  the 
famous  old  city,  the  seat  of  Mohammedan  dynasties  and  Hindoo 
houses  for  so  many  years,  could  not  be  visited  ;  but  Ahmedabad 
had  not  yet  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  dreadful  inundation, 
and  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  have  made  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  Surat  at  short  notice.  The  departure  for 
Bombay  was  not  so  fine  as  the  entry,  but  it  was  nevertheless 
made  an  affair  of  State,  and  the  Gaekwar  and  all  his  people' 
attended  the  Prince  to  the  Baroda  Station.  Illuminations,  bands, 
escorts,  of  course ;  but  the  platform  at  the  Station  was  in  darkness, 
and  Sir  Madhava  Rao  was  in  some  apprehension  lest  advantage 
might  be  taken  to  do  mischief  to  the  Prince  or  to  the  young 
Gaekwar  in  the  confusion.  Owing  to  changes  in  the  arrange- 
ments, there  was  some  delay  in  getting  up  the  carriages  and 
starting  the  train. 

November  24. — The  special  train  arrived  at  the  Church  Gate 
Station,  Bombay,  at  8.40  A.  M.  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse  and  his 
Staff,  the  Admiral,  Captain  Glyn,  Lord  A.  Paget.  Lord  C.  Beres-. 
ford  (quite  recovered),  Mr.  FitzGeorge,  &c.,  were  awaiting  the 
Prince's  arrival,  and  procession  was  formed  to  the  Dockyard, 


IQ6  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

where  steam-launches  were  in  readiness  to  convey  the  party  to 
the  Serapis.  It  was  not  considered  expedient  to  return  to  Parell, 
or  remain  on  shore,  on  account  of  the  prevalence  of  sickness. 
There  were  renewed  consultations  respecting  the  arrangements 
for  the  tour  after  leaving  Bombay.  It  was  settled  that  after 
visiting  Goa  the  Serapis  shall  call  at  Beypore,  and  that  if  the 
reports  are  unfavorable,  she  will  go  on  to  Ceylon,  where  the 
Governor  is  making  every  preparation  for  the  reception  of  the 
Royal  visitor. 

The  Prince  dined  with  Admiral  Macdonald,  who  is  invited  to 
take  a  passage  to  Calcutta,  and  whose  flag-ship,  the  Undaunted^ 
will  proceed  to  Colombo.  It  was  only  by  the  exercise  of  Mah- 
ratta-like  cunning,  or  of  sturdy  self-will,  that  any  one  could 
escape  the  pains  and  penalties  of  programme,  or  evade  the 
grasp  of  official  notifications.  The  Prince  "  Rex  est  et  super 
grammatical!!,"  but  he  was  nevertheless  very  careful  of  prescribed 
covenants  with  the  public,  and  it  was  only  by  hard  work  that  he 
contrived  to  obtain  relaxation.  The  Duke  of  Sutherland  and 
others  visited  the  institutions  and  sights  of  Bombay,  and  saw 
their  friends  at  their  ease  without  the  "  Magna  comitans  caterva," 
but  it  was  not  possible  for  the  Prince  to  imitate  the  good  Ha- 
roun  al  Raschid.  The  Towers  of  Silence — of  which  no  more  at 
,  present — the  Holy  Tank  and  Temple  of  Walkeshwar,  the  Craw- 
ford Markets,  the  European  Hospitals,  were  all  duly  visited  be- 
fore the  Prince  left  Bombay,  but  each  demanded  its  exertion  and 
its  "  special  "  bundabust.  The  flourishing  sect  of  Khojas,  who 
acknowledge  as  their  Chief  the  descendant  of  the  Old  Man  of 
the  Mountains,  the  veritable  head  of  the  Assassins,  were  grati- 
fied by  seeing  the  Prince  pay  a  visit  to  Agha  Khan  and  his  sons, 
the  Persian  Princes — for  particulars  of  whom  and  of  their  history, 
please  read  the  interesting  papers  in  "  Macmillan's  Magazine  " 
from  the  charming  pen  of  Sir  Bartle  Frere. 

Whilst  the  Prince  and  his  party  were  enjoying  themselves  at 
Baroda,  Lord  A.  Paget,  Major  Sartorius,  and  Mr.  FitzGeorge, 
&c.,  were  engaged,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Larcom,  in  search  of  tiger 
at  Rajpoori.  The  Osborne  arrived  there  on  the  igth.  Lord  A. 


BOMBAY   WEATHER. 

Paget,  Mr.  Larcom,  &c.,  leaving  the  ship  early  on  the  2oth,  made 
a  good  bag  of  wild  fowl  ;  Major  Sartorius,  Lieutenants  Fitz- 
George  and  Gough,  &c.,  had  fair  sport  among  the  woodcocks. 
On  the  2ist,  Lord  Alfred  Paget  and  others,  leaving  at  7.30  A.  M., 
landed  about  two  miles  up  the  river.  Under  the  orders  of  Mr. 
Larcom,  the  party  toiled  over  hillside  and  through  jungle  until 
nightfall,  without  result.  They  landed  again  on  the  22d. 
Came  on  distinct  recent  traces  of  a  tiger;  so  it  was  evident  that 
they  had  been  sitting  down  not  many  yards  away  from  the 
beast  during  lunch.  Perhaps  he  did  not  like  the  white  umbrellas 
of  some  of  the  party.  The  sun  was  hot,  and  umbrellas  were  no 
doubt  useful ;  who  does  not  remember  the  story  of  the  Royal 
Bengal,  who  was  driven  off  in  his  charge  on  a  picnic  party  by 
the  sudden  unfurling  of  a  sunshade  ?  The  Jinjeera  tiger  might 
have  been  animated  by  similar  antipathies.  At  all  events,  he 
was  not  killed.  This  short  trip  was  a  great  relief  to  the  ship's 
company.  The  crew  made  up  water  parties  in  a  decided  fash- 
ion ;  sixty  "  salts  "  hauling  away  at  the  ship's  net  astonished  the 
villagers  every  evening.  By  the  light  of  a  big  bonfire  on  the 
beach,  alternately  working  cheerily  up  to  his  neck  in  water,  and 
running  foot-races,  "Jack"  managed  to  enjoy  himself  com- 
pletely. To  compensate  for  the  scarcity  of  game,  the  party 
managed  to  bring  back  plenty  of  fish. 

November  25.  —  The  steam-like  clouds  floating  over  Ele- 
phanta  and  the  shore-line,  and  clinging  to  the  surface  of  the 
water  this  morning,  gave  an  indication  of  the  heat  which  was 
not  belied  even  when  the  sea  breeze  was  freshest.  Every  one 
felt  the  influence  of  the  climate.  The  very  shipping,  whilom  so 
gay,  had  a  depressed  air,  which  corresponded  too  well  with  the 
sanitary  condition  of  some  of  the  crews  ;  the  pendants  and 
ensigns  drooped  in  the  morning  haze  ;  a  Vandervelde  calm. 
The  Doris,  we  know,  is  not  at  all  healthy.  The  Philomel  was 
away  to  the  Malay  Peninsula,  despatched  (he  night  of  the 
Byculla  Club  Ball,  in  consequence  of  the  receipt  of  a  telegram 
announcing  the  murder  of  Mr.  Birch  at  Perak.  Although  we 
leave  Bombay  this  evening,  the  route  is  still  uncertain.  A  tele- 


igS  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

gram  received  from  the  highest  quarter  gave  expression  to  the 
anxiety  caused  by  the  reports  of  cholera,  and  the  shooting 
excursion  in  Southern  India  may  be  considered  as  definitively 
abandoned.  Dr.  Fayrer  and  Dr.  Hartwell,  whose  name  has  been 
so  long  associated  with  sanitary  reform,  and  who  has  done  such 
good  work  in  the  city  of  Bombay,  think  there  are  symptoms  of 
an  impending  outbreak  of  cholera  all  over  the  Madras  Presi- 
dency. The  programme  for  the  tour,  so  carefully  drawn  up  in 
London  and  in  Calcutta,  has  been  cut  to  ribands.  Every  day 
brings  its  despatch,  every  despatch  has  dashed  so  many  hopes 
and  plans.  Not  needlessly  nor  in  vain  were  warnings  given 
that  the  set  calendars  in  which  the  Prince's  steps  were  meas- 
ured and  his  hours  told  off  should  not  be  relied  on.  There  was 
not  in  all  these  linked  sweetnesses  one  small  space  left  for  a 
day's  break  down — for  an  accident,  for  even  a  headache  or 
indisposition.  The  fleet  has  been  an  object  of  great  attraction 
to  the  Rajas  and  natives  of  all  classes,  and  even  the  high-caste 
Brahmin  was  not  superior  to  the  curiosity  of  seeing  the  Serapis. 
Commanders  and  First  Lieutenants  feel  on  such  occasions  very 
much  as  a  man  does  who  sees  a  loutish  fellow  tread  with  muddy 
feet  on  the  tail  of  a  lady's  robe,  so  that  the  patience  of  Com- 
mander Bedford  was  sorely  exercised  by  hosts  of  strangers. 
But  now  the  Rajas,  to  the  great  relief  of  the  saluting  battery, 
have  nearly  all  gone  away,  pretty  well  cleared  out,  pooV  men  ! 
and  there  was  only  one  nine-gun  wallah  to  notice  the  loss  of 
this  morning.  The  Serapis  was,  however,  thronged  by  visitors 
on  business,  and  many  friends  came  to  take  leave  in  the  "cool " 
of  the  morning  (thermometer  88°),  notably  of  Sir  Bartle  Frere, 
whose  name  is  ever  grateful  in  Bombay,  notwithstanding  the 
small  carping?  of  economists  who  object  to  spending  the  money 
of  the  people  in  the  improvement  of  the  city  and  county  in 
which  they  live.  There  was  also  that  liveliness  of  motion — 
going  and  coming — between  decks,  which  denotes  an  impending 
arrival  or  departure,  and  many  cases  full  of  presents  were  being 
shipped  and  sent  down  the  hold. 

There  was  some  anxiety  respecting  a  detachment  of  the  party 


A   HINDOO   WEDDING.  IQ9 

(Lord  Suffield  and  Mr.  Knollys)  which  should  nave  been  on 
board  early  this  morning ;  but  they  returned  at  breakfast-time 
from  a  visit  to  Sir  Salar  Jung  at  Hyderabad,  which  had  proved 
very  interesting  and  agreeable.  They  had  not  seen  the  Nizam, 
who  was  too  ill  to  receive  even  his  tutor,  Captain  Clerk. 

The  Prince  landed  at  noon  to  take  leave  of  the  Governor. 
It  was  a  state  ceremony,  and  the  men-of-war  and  the  vessels  in 
harbor  dressed  and  saluted,  the  crews  manned  yards,  and 
cheered  ;  but  there  was  naturally  some  diminution  in  the  mani- 
festations of  loyal  curiosity  which  marked  the  first  appearance 
of  the  Prince.  The  landing  was  at  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental 
Steam  Company's  Dockyard  at  Mazagone,  where  there  were 
very  few  persons  to  receive  the  Prince,  because  he  had  arrived 
before  the  time  at  which  it  was  understood  he  would  land. 
There  were  the  band,  colors,  and  guard  of  honor  of  100  men  of 
the  2oth  Native  Infantry,  the  escort  of  the  3d  Hussars,  and  a 
half  battery  to  salute.  Mr.  Souter  was,  of  course,  on  the  spot — 
where  has  he  not  been,  and  where  is  he  not,  wherever  the 
Prince  has  been  or  is  expected  ? — and  he  sent  off  for  the  vehi- 
cles ;  but  he  heard,  perhaps  with  some  dismay,  that  his  Royal 
Highness  wished,  instead  of  driving  direct  to  Parell,  the  way  to 
which  had  been  duly  lined  and  patrolled  by  police,  to  visit  the 
house  of  Sir  Munguldass  Nuthoobhoy,  where  there  was  a 
wedding  festivity,  which  he  intended  to  honor  by  his  presence. 
Off  flew  a  mounted  Chief  of  the  Bombay  sbirri  to  make  such 
dispositions  as  were  possible  to  clear  the  new  route  of  all  im- 
pediments. The  mansion  lay  in  an  out-of-the-way  part  of  the 
town, — suburban, — but  it  was  worth  while  to  go  there,  for  it  is 
not  given  to  every  one  to  see  the  interior  of  a  Native  mansion 
at  such  a  time  ;  and  the  visitors  saw  not  only  the  interior  of  the 
house,  but  the  ladies  of  the  family,  and  the  young  men  who 
were  enjoying  the  festivity,  and  the  bridegroom  himself,  who 
was  a  marvel  of  brocade  and  gold  and  silver  lace  and  tinsel, 
with  a  tiara  on  his  head,  so  that  he  might  well  have  been  taken 
for  the  bride.  And  in  such  attire  was  he  to  proceed  on  a 
champing  charger,  escorted  by  his  friends,  to  bring  his  wife  to 


2OO  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

her  new  home.  Poor  lad  !  He  seemed  oppressed  by  fatigue, 
and  no  doubt  would  have  given  a  good  deal  to  have  had  the 
equestrain  exhibition  struck  out  of  the  programme.  The  house 
contained  some  good  rooms,  furnished  in  the  mode  which 
commends  itself  to  the  Oriental  taste;  and  there  were  mir- 
rors, musical  clocks,  mechanical  contrivances,  chandeliers,  and 
engravings,  notably  of  British  and  European  personages,  in 
abundance.  The  ladies  were  in  flutters  of  delight  at  the  visit, 
and  Sir  Munguldass  Nuthoobhoy  gave  full  expression  to  his 
feelings  at  the  honor  conferred  on  him.  There  was  a  great 
crowd  of  Bombay  merchants.  Several  were  pointed  out  as 
being  worth  so  many  lacs  of  rupees,  some  as  being  worth 
millions  of  money  ;  and  of  these  the  chief  were  presented  to  the 
Prince  —  then  uttur  and  pan,  and  good-by.  The  quantity 
of  flowers  in  and  outside  was  astonishing,  and  the  scent 
overpowering  ;  nor  did  any  who  entered  escape  the  be-wreath- 
ment  and  garlanding,  which  form  part  of  all  ceremonies, 
the  Prince  being  especially  festooned  with  the  choicest.  There 
was  an  impression  in  the  minds  of  some  of  the  visitors  that 
they  had  been  at  a  Parsee's  wedding,  for  the  full-dress  tur- 
ban of  the  Bombay  banker  or  bunneah  has  been  adopted  by 
the  Parsees,  and  many  think  that  it  is  their  exclusive 
right  to  wear  it.  Away  to  Parell  —  streets  lined,  but  not 
any  great  crowds  of  people.  The  Horse  Artillery  troop  fired 
a  salute ;  a  guard  of  honor,  furnished  by  the  26th  Native  In- 
fantry, with  band  and  colors,  was  in  front  of  the  House  ;  but 
a  glance  down  the  avenue  showed  that  all  the  canvas  was  down, 
and  that  life  in  the  tented  field  was  over  for  the  present.  The  visit 
to  Parell  was  very  grateful,  surely,  to  the  Governor  and  to  the 
Prince  ;  but  most  of  all,  perhaps,  to  the  Chief  of  Police  (to 
whose  activity,  zeal,  and  administrative  skill  so  much  of  the 
success  of  the  Bombay  festivities  has  been  due — not  a  serious 
accident,  not  a  riot,  nor  afire);  for  the  Prince,  whose  eye  is  quick 
to  detect  merit  of  the  sort,  thought  it  would  be  a  proper  recogni- 
tion of  Mr.  Souter's  services  to  bestow  on  him  the  honor  of 
knighthood ;  and  there  were  few  happier  men  in  the  land  that 


DEPARTURE  FROM  BOMBAY.  2OI 

afternoon  than  the  gentlemen  who  felt  the  touch  of  the  sword 
held  by  the  Prince  as  the  accolade  was  bestowed,  and  heard  the 
words,  "  Rise,  Sir  Francis  Henry  Souter ! "  There  was  one 
small  drop  of  bitter  in  the  cup.  The  new  knight  had  an  heredi- 
tary right  to  be  proud  of  "  Prank,"  and  he  was  styled  l<  Francis  ; " 
but  he  was  rendered  content  by  the  assurance  that  he  could  call 
himself  "  Sir  Frank,"  as  he  preferred  it.  After  tiffin  and  sitting 
for  photographs,  the  Prince  left  Parell  to  go  on  board  the  Serapis. 
At  the  Dockyard  there  was  a  guard  of  honor  of  the  2cl  Queen's, 
band  and  colors,  under  Captain  Holt.  The  decorations  had  been 
furbished  up,  and,  instead  of  *'  Welcome/'  over  the  entrance, 
there  was  "  God  speed."  The  interior  seemed  comparatively 
empty,  for  most  of  the  Rajas  were  absent.  There  were  present, 
however,  the  Raja  of  Radhanpore,  the  Raja  of  Dranghclra,  the 
Nawab  of  Jinjeera,  and  the  Raja  of  Palitana,  each  with  followers 
gorgeously  dressed,  and  there  were  several  of  the  white-gowned 
and  turbaned  Sirdars  of  the  Deccan.  Sir  Michael  Westropp, 
Sir  Charles  Sargent,  Mr.  Justice  Kemball,  Mr.  Justice  Melvill, 
Mr.  Justice  Green,  Mr  Justice  Bayley,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Scoble, 
the  Hon.  Mr.  Rogers,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Gibbs,  Major-General  Ken- 
nedy, the  Hon.  Mr.  Ravenscroft,  Mr.  Lee-Warner.  Captain 
Morland,  Captain  Robinson,  Mr.  Barrow,  Mr.  Spencer,  Mr.  Orr, 
Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy,  his  sons  and  brother,  the  Hon.  Vish- 
wanath  N.  Mundlik,  the  Hon.  Beecherdass  Ambaidass,  Mr. 
Nowrojee  Manockjee  Waclia,  Mr.  Manockjee  Curtsetjee,  Mr. 
Homejee  Cursetjee  Dady,  Mr.  Cursetjee  Furdoonjee  Paruck, 
Mr.  Limjee  Nowrojee  Banajee,  Mr.  Pheroshah  M.  Mehta,  and 
many  others,  and  a  great  company  of  ladies,  bouquets,  kerchiefs, 
new  dresses  and  fresh  smiles,  bright,  fair  and  faithful  to  the 
last. 

The  Prince  walked  slowly  down  the  scarlet  cloth,  stopping 
frequently  to  shake  hands  with  and  speak  to  gentlemen  and 
ladies  who  had  been  presented  to  him  ;  and,  as  he  looked  round, 
he  noticed  Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy,  walked  over  and  shook  him 
by  the  hand.  He  touched  his  helmet  in  answer  to  salutes  from  gen- 
tlemen who  were  not  within  reaching  distance.  A  crowd  of  offi- 
9* 


2O2  .         THE    PRINCE   OF    WALES     TOUR. 

cers  and  other  gentlemen  followed  him  to  the  Royal  barge.  The 
Prince  stood  engaged  in  conversation  with  Sir  Philip  Wodehouse, 
and  several  other  gentlemen,  for  a  few  minutes.  Then  he  step- 
ped back,  shook  hands  with  almost  everybody  present,  being 
anxious  that  none  of  those  who  had  been  introduced  to  him 
should  be  missed.  The  barge  shoved  off  amid  deafening  cheers, 
not  only  from  those  in  the  yard,  but  from  thousands  who  lined 
the  piers  and  thronged  the  Apollo  Bunder.  Five  minutes  after, 
a  salute  from  the  ships  of  war  announced  that  the  Prince  had 
arrived  on  board  the  Serapis.  The  Governor  and  his  suite  and 
others  were  received,  and  paid  their  parting  respects  on  board 
the  Serapis  in  the  evening ;  some,  as  Major-General  Browne, 
Major  Bradford,  Major  Startorius,  Major  Ben.  Williams,  to  re- 
join the  Prince,  others  to  their  posts,  all  with  recollections  of  a 
few  graceful  sentiments  more  treasured  than  the  substantial 
souvenirs  which  were  so  freely  bestowed.  The  list  of  these 
latter  would  be  long ;  but  the  name  of  Captain  Robinson  should 
not  be  omitted,  nor  the  Vhanks  the  Prince  conveyed  to  him  and 
the  Department  over  which  he  presided.  At  5  P.  M.  the  Serapis 
slowly  moved  ahead,  with  the  faithful  Osborne  in  her  usual  sta- 
tion, the  Raleigh  (freighted  with  all  the  special  correspondents  of 
the  London  papers  and  others,  including  Count  Goblet  d' Alviella, 
of  the  "  Independence  Beige,"  and  M.  de  Coutoley,  of  the 
"  Temps,")  in  a  line  parallel  to  her,  and  the  Undaunted,  flag  of 
Rear- Admiral  Macdonald,  astern. 

At  6  P.  M.  the  rays  of  the  Col  aba  Light-House,  which  had 
first  welcomed  the  Prince  to  the  East,  were  casting  their  gleam 
over  the  waters  in  our  wake,  and  almost  as  uncertain  in  his 
wandering  along  the  coast  as  Vasco  da  Gama  himself,  the 
illustrious  guest  of  the  Viceroy  of  India  was  setting  out  to  see 
what  the  Fates  would  send  him  on  his  cruise  down  the  western 
coast  of  Hindostan. 


"  HAULING  THE  SEINE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Visit  to  Goa — A  Portuguese  Settlement — New  Goa — Old  Goa — Mancheels — 
The  Cathedral — The  Bom  Jesus — A  Fishing  Excursion — Coast  Scenery — 
Beypore— Cholera  prevalent  in  the  Shooting  District — The  "  Moplahs  " — 
A  Remembrance  of  Tippoo — Otter  Hunt — Quilon — The  Tambarettes. 

November  26.  —  The  Serapis  continued  her  course  south 
at  a  distance  of  some  fifteen  miles  from  land.  The  sea-line 
marked  by  a  well-defined  wall  of  cocoa-nuts ;  inland,  elevated 
plateaux,  leaving  intermediate  ranges  cut  up  by  valleys  and 
sweeping  plains.  But  what  activity  and  life  amongst  people,  to 
us  as  unknown  as  they  were  to  the  Portuguese  when  first  their 
daring  caravels  ploughed  these  waters  !  Close  to  land  were 
running,  as  if  engaged  in  a  regatta,  fleets  of  fishing-boats,  with 
outriggers  and  lateen  sails,  and  here  and  there  larger  native 

'pierchantmen.     All  day  long  they  passed  to  and  fro,  up  and 

203 


2O4  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

down,  now  and  then  coming  quite  close,  the  crews  rousing  them- 
selves up  to  stare  at  the  unwonted  bulk  and  grandeur  of  the  great 
steamer,  such  as  was  never  before  beheld  in  those  seas.  At 
long  intervals,  wherever  the  coast  offered  a  sheltering  bay  for 
commerce,  there  were  traces  of  the  works  of  former  conquerors, 
and  of  races  no  longer  in  power.  We  passed  Malwan  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  and  soon  afterwards  Fort  Melundy,  a  re- 
markable work,  about  400  yards  long,  with  sixteen  bastions,  built 
of  dark-colored  stone.  At  1.30  P.M.  the  Osborne  was  signalled, 
and  Colonel  Ellis  was  sent  on  board  with  despatches  to 
announce  the  arrival  of  the  Prince,  and  to  make  arrangements 
for  his  reception  at  Goa.  The  Governor  had  been  already 
informed  that  a  visit  might  be  expected  from  his  Royal  Highness, 
and  preparations  were  made  to  do  him  every  honor.  In  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  the  sea  being  perfectly  calm,  a  remark- 
able appearance  in  advance  of  our  course  caused  some  uneasiness 
onboard,  till  the  cause  of  it  was  understood.  It  was  an  elevated 
line  of  water  in  the  shape  of  a  A,  the  sharp  end  being  at  the  distance 
of  several  miles,  and  the  sides  gradually  extending  outwards,  so 
that  it  looked  exactly  like  the  sea  marking  a  reef  right  on  the 
centre  of  which  we  were  running  full  speed.  The  Raleigh, 
which  was  on  our  port  quarter,  was  signalled  to,  altered  her 
course,  and  came  up  on  the  starboard  and  astern  •  but  after  a 
close  inspection  through  the  glass  it  turned  out  to  be  nothing 
more  than  a  long  double  ripple  in  the  placid  sea,  the  effect  of 
the  Osborne 's  course,  although  she  was  so  far  ahead  as  to  be  hull 
down  at  the  time.  At  5  P.  M.  we  sighted  Cape  Aguada,  which  is 
north  of  the  entrance  to  the  river  on  which  Goa  and  Panjim  lie. 
It  is  a  bluff,  brown  mound,  with  some  buildings  on  the  pointed 
summit,  and  with  a  fort,  or  rather  a  wall  with  a  few  guns 
mounted  on  it,  at  the  base.  At  7  P.  M.  the  Serapis  and  Raleigh 
anchored  about  two  miles  out  from  shore,  the  Osborne  being 
stationed  inside.  The  night  passed  quietly,  but  they  had  some 
difficulty  in  preventing  the  Portuguese  authorities  coming  off  to 
welcome  the  Prince,  and  they  were  very  anxious  to  fire  another 
salute. 


A  PORTUGUESE  SETTLEMENT.  2O$ 

November  27. — The  morning  sun  lighted  up  the  glistening 
sides  of  the  Serapis,  the  warlike  bulk  of  the  Raleigh,  and  the 
graceful  lines  of  the  Osborne,  and  of  her  small  sister,  the  May 
Frere,  as  they  sat  on  the  quiet  roll  of  a  waveless  sea,  which  lapped 
the  verge  of  the  wide  spread  of  green  cocoa-nut-palms  fringing 
the  shore.  The  number  of  pendants,  and  the  array  of  steam- 
launches,  barges  and  gigs  passing  to  and  fro  between  the  vessels, 
gave  a  fitting  appearance  of  state  to  the  little  squadron  flying 
the  Prince's  standard  and  the  British  ensign  in  Portuguese 
waters.  Landwards  were  a  few  fishing  or  coasting  boats,  with 
broad  lateen  sails  and  high  sterns.  Then  a  low  broken  range 
of  hills,  above  the  outline  of  which  rose  higher  and  more  regular 
summits.  Here  and  there  the  detached  tumular  formations  so 
frequent  in  this  part  of  India  were  visible,  and  on  one  of  these, 
close  to  the  beach,  was  perched  the  Light-House,  which  looks 
like  a  fortified  work.  To  the  south  crop  up  a  few  small  glands. 
The  settlement  of  Goa-Panjim  is  situated  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  river,  some  three  miles  from  the  headland.  The  town  could 
not  be  seen  from  the  anchorage,  but  one  large  house  embowered 
in  trees,  and  several  smaller  residences  on  the  rising  ground, 
could  be  made  out  through  the  glass. 

At  8  A.  M.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  undress  uniform,  and  his 
suite,  Captain  Glyn,  Captain  Tryon,  Commander  Durrant,  &c. 
were  conveyed  in  two  steam-launches  to  the  May  Frere.  The 
Raleigh  woke  up  the  echoes  with  her  big  guns,  and  before  the 
salute  was  over,  the  cloud  of  smoke,  curling  in  creamy  folds 
and  mounting  upwards,  hid  all  but  the  men  on  the  top-gallant  yards 
from  view.  At  8.45  A.  M.,  as  the  despatch-boat  ran  past  the 
ancient  water  battery  at  the  north  side  of  the  creek  on  which 
Panjim  is  situated,  the  Portuguese  fired  a  very  creditable  salute 
of  twenty-one  guns  and  hoisted  the  British  standard.  There 
were  very  few  craft  on  the  river,  and  no  Portuguese  or  European 
vessels  ;  but  as  we  were  entering  the  creek,  a  steamer,  which  had 
been  chartered  to  carry  the  Raja  of  Kolhapoor  on  his  way  home 
from  Bombay,  passed  out  to  the  north  with  many  Native  pas- 
sengers. The  boats  engaged  in  fishing  were  rudely  made  of 


2O6  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

thick,  coarse  planks  of  dark  wood,  with  high  projecting  sterns; 
the  rowers  were  all  but  naked.  They  are  a  squalid  people  to 
look  at,  very  dark,  like  most  of  the  natives  of  the  coast,  and  do 
not  seem  to  belong  to  the  race  of  Hindoos  to  be  seen  inland. 
A  coarse  cloth,  rarely  clean,  serves  as  turban,  and  nothing  else 
have  they  in  the  shape  of  clothes  but  a  very  scanty  loin-cloth. 
Their  oars  are  like  maltsters'  shovels,  very  nearly  similar  to 
those  used  in  Bombay  waters,  which  are  poles  with  flat  circles 
of  wood  nailed  to  the  end. 

The  river  beyond  the  bar  resembles  the  Thames  below  Graves- 
end,  always  assuming  the  cocoa-nut-palms  on  the  banks  as  an 
invariable  characteristic.  As  we  came  nearer,  the  resem- 
blance was  strengthened  by  the  aspect  of  New  Goa  itself,  which  is 
exceedingly  like  old  Gravesend.  The  Government  House  looms 
like  the  old  Falcon  Tavern,  and  there  are  little  bits  by  the 
river-sidfe  which  remind  one  exactly  of  the  more  ancient  build- 
ings above  and  below  Rosherville.  A  range  of  wild  ghauts  is 
visible  to  the  east. 

When  the  May  Frere  came  up  to  a  line  of  detached  bunga- 
lows on  the  creek,  the  people  ran  towards  the  landing-place, 
where  there  was  a  multitude  of  persons,  some  in  black  hats  and 
evening  dress,  others  in  less  elaborate  costumes,  and  others  in 
the  simple  attire  affected  by  the  aborigines.  The  Portuguese 
turn  very  brown  in  these  parts,  and  their  native  hue  deepens 
greatly  in  India,  where  as  we  travel  south  the  people  generally 
acquire  darker  tints.  The  Europeans  looked  like  Hindoos  en 
costume,  and  the  entire  absence  of  any  sort  of  womankind  added 
to  the  bizarre  effect  of  the  crowd  on  those  whose  eyes  had 
been  accustomed  to  see  brilliant  Parsee  ladies  everywhere  in 
Bombay.  As  soon  as  the  May  Frere  was  moored  about  100  yards 
from  the  Governor's  House,  a  double-banked  galley,  pulled  by 
eighteen  men,  who  were  dressed  in  a  uniform  which  recalled 
the  costume  of  the  time  of  Elizabeth,  put  off.  The  scarlet  caps, 
in  front  of  which  were  fixed  large  silver  plaques,  worked  finely,  and 
said  to  be  200  years  old,  may  be  seen  depicted  in  an  old  painting 
(at  Venice,  I  think),  representing  a  naval  engagement  between 


NEW   GOA.  2O7 

the  Turks  and  the  Venetians,  in  which  there  is  a  boat  in  the  fore- 
ground, rowed  by  men  wearing  caps  and  badges  of  very  much  the 
same  form.  The  galley  came  alongside,  two  equerries  received 
the  Governor  (Viceroy  no  longer)  at  the  gangway.  The  Prince 
stood  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  of  the  quarter-deck,  and  his  Ex- 
cellency Tavares  de  Almeida,  General  of  Division  of  the  Royal 
Artillery  of  Portugal,  and  Governor  of  Goa,  &c.,  ascended,  and 
was  graciously  welcomed.  His  Excellency,  who  was  highly 
decore  for  services  in  China,  Mozambique,  &c.,  was  followed  by 
Senor  J.  H.  da  Cunha  Rivara,  Secretary  ;  Major  Albuquerque,  Mil- 
itary Secretary  ;  Lieut-Colonel  Pertana,  Governor  of  Damaun 
•  (another  Portuguese  possession  near  Bombay)  ;  Captain  J.  T.  F. 
Arez,  R.  N.,  Captain  Fonseca,  A.  D.  C.,  Captain  de  Lacerda,  A. 
D.  C.,  Senor  B.  J.  de  Lorena,  &c.  After  a  few  moments'  conversa- 
tion, the  Prince,  Governor,  and  suites  were  rowed  to  the  landing- 
place  of  New  Goa,  where  order  certainly  did  not  prevail.  .Though 
there  was  no  shouting,  noise,  or  violent  shoving — still  there  was 
a  strong  desire  to  close  in  around  the  Prince,  and  the  two  stal- 
wart Punjaubees  who  carried  the  Prince's  rifles,  which  were 
taken  on  the  chance  of  a  shot,  as  game  was  said  to  be  abundant, 
exercised  a  very  salutary  influence  in  restraining  the  eagerness  of 
the  crowd. 

A  very  small  place  it  is,  indeed  ;  but  an  immense  mass  of 
people  around  the  landing-place — of  such  mongrel  aspect  that  it 
was  very  hard  to  say  where  Hindoo  ended  and  European  began 
— gave  cause  for  wonder  as  to  where  they  abode  or  where  they 
came  from,  for  outside  the  town  all  is  cocoa-nut.  The  forces  of 
the  Government  were  drawn  up — a  European  battalion,  a  Sepoy 
battalion,  and  a  battery.  The  Sepoys,  with  European  officers, 
were  very  much  the  same  stamp  of  men  as  our  own  low-caste 
regiments,  looking  more  like  Madrassees  than  Bengalees.  They 
were  dressed  in  blue  and  yellow.  The  Portuguese  officers  smart, 
but  rather  sickly.  The  European  battalion,  on  their  right,  ex- 
tended up  across  the  Plaza  to  the  Government  House.  When 
the  crowd,  making  a  most  extraordinary  chattering  and  jabbering, 
closed  in,  there  was  decided  agitation  of  the  two  mounted  officers, 


208  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

whose  horses  had  probably  never  before  been  exposed  to  such 
an  ordeal,  and  the  "  present  arms  "  was  almost  too  much  for 
them.  The  Government  House,  which  is  not  more  than  a  cen- 
tury old,  contains  a  very  interesting  gallery  of  portraits,  removed 
from  old  Goa  :  likenesses  of  all  the  Viceroys  who  reigned  in  the 
names  of  the  Kings  of  Portugal  from  the  foundation  of  their  great 
dominion  in  India  till  Viceroys  ceased  to  be,  and  gave  way  to 
simple  Governors-General.  They  may  be  as  apocryphal  as  the 
likenesses  of  the  Scotch  Kings  at  Holyrood,  but  they  have  an 
air  of  genuineness  about  them  ;  and  they  stand  in  ruffs,  collars, 
trunk  hose,  Vandyck  cloaks — right  gallant- looking  gentlemen. 
Whether  the  climate  was  very  deadly,  or  they  made  their  fortunes 
very  rapidly,  it  is  certain  they  followed  in  quick  succession,  and 
two  came  in  one  year,  which,  considering  the  difficulty  of  the 
voyages  between  India  and  Portugal,  is  remarkable.  The  Prince 
went  round  the  rooms  with  great  interest,  and  after  a  time,  taking 
his  stand  before  a  seat  of  honor  in  a  chamber  which  was  dec- 
orated with  portraits  of  the  Kings  of  Portugal  and  of  some  of 
his  own  Royal  relatives  of  the  House  of  Coburg,  received  the 
Archbishop  of  Goa  and  his  clergy,  and  a  number  of  Portuguese 
officials,  who  were  presented  to  him  by  the  Governor.  The 
heat,  if  not  overpowering,  was  distressing,  and  the  buildings 
were  crowded  by  the  whole  population  of  Goa  apparently,  who 
certainly  had  the  Republican  attribute  of  doing  exactly  as  they 
pleased. 

Then  his  Royal  Highness  and  the  Governor  embarked  in  the 
steam-launch  of  the  Osborne,  and  went  three  miles  up  the  river 
to  visit  what  remains  of  Goa  proper,  or  "  old  Goa,"  abandoned 
more  than  230  years  ago  on  account  of  its  unhealthiness.  The 
river  washes  the  remains  of  a  great  city  —  an  arsenal  in  ruins  ; 
palaces  in  ruins  ;  quay  walls  in  ruins  ;  churches  in  ruins — all  in 
ruins  !  Long  would  it  take  to  repeat  the  stories  of  our  friends 
concerning  the  places  we  passed.  As  one  of  them  said,  "  We 
were  once  great.  We  ruled  vast  provinces  in  this  land.  Now 
you  are  the  masters.  Look  and  see  what  is  left  to  us  ! "  We 
looked,  and  saw  the  site  of  the  Inquisition,  the  Bishop's  Prison, 


OLD    GOA.  2O9 

a  grand  Cathedral,  great  churches,  chapels,  convents,  religious 
houses  on  knolls  surrounded  by  jungle  and  trees,  scattered  all 
over  the  country.  We  saw  the  crumbling  masonry  which  once 
marked  the  lines  of  streets  and  enclosures  of  palaces,  dockyards 
filled  with  weeds,  and  obsolete  cranes. 

Goa  !  Somehow  or  other  the  "  Inquisition  "  comes  to  one's 
mind  when  the  place  is  named.  But  it  has,  or  ought  to  have, 
memories  of  a  nobler  sort.  The  history  of  the  Portuguese  in 
India  would  point  the  moral  and  adorn  the  tale  of  a  philosophical 
historian  who  should  write  of  the  decline  and  fall  of  empires. 
The  Portuguese  can  fight,  no  doubt,  as  stoutly  as  they  did  in 
days  of  yore,  and  if  they  are  not  quite  so  potent  in  an  eminently 
practical  and  rather  severe  theology  as  they  once  were,  they 
have  not  been  left  ignobly  behind  in  the  race  of  modern  civiliza- 
tion. Da  Gama  !  Albuquerque  !  These  are  names  to  conjure 
with.  It  is  a  place  an  Englishman  ought  to  visit.  It  is  a  place 
which  an  English  Prince,  especially,  may  visit  with  great  profit. 
If  we  are  proud  of  our  deeds  and  of  our  history  in  India,  and 
if  we  are  elated  by  the  greatness  of  the  doings  of  our  race, 
we  may  be  led  by  the  aspect  of  ruins  such  as  those  which  the 
Prince  of  Wales  has  been  gazing  upon  to  turn  our  thoughts  to 
the  investigation  of  the  causes  which  sap  the  foundations  of 
mighty  States,  and  lay  the  work  of  statesmen  and  soldiers  in  the 
dust. 

At  the  landing-place  some  dozen  wretched-looking  natives 
were  gathered.  The  distances  are  great,  and  if  the  stranger  does 
not  wish  to  be  carried  in  litters  resembling  the  Simla  panjams, 
here  called  "  mancheels,"  which  are  canopied  seats  slung  from 
bamboos,  which  are  borne  on  men's  heads,  he  must  walk.  The 
Prince  and  the  Governor  got  into  one  of  these  litters,  not  with- 
out some  laughter,  and  were  conducted  to  the  Cathedral,  which 
is  half  a  mile  from  the  landing.  The  road  passes  under  a  large 
arched  gateway.  In  a  niche  over  the  arch,  beneath  one  of  St. 
Catherine,  stands  a  painted  statue  of  Vasco  da  (not  de)  Gama, 
and  we  were  told  that  it  was  of  necessity  that  each  Governor  of 
Goa  should  go  under  this  archway — "  Aliter  Gubernator  non 


2IO 


THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES     TOUR. 


potest  fieri."  There  was  one  of  the  smooth,  well-bred,  amiable 
ecclesiastics,  who  are  ever  to  be  found  in  situ,  to  show  the  Prince 
round  and  explain  everything.  The  Cathedral  inside  is  of  vast 
and  noble  proportions,  very  plain  and  massive  outside.  It  con- 
tains shrines  and  chapels,  and  much  gilding,  many  middling 
paintings,  fine  old  silver  work.  There  were  only  seven  worship- 
pers— aii  women,  all  natives — all  before  one  shrine ;  at  least,  they 


THE   MANCHEEL 

were  real,  for  the  visit  was  a  surprise.  What  had  become  of  the 
worshippers  for  whom  these  churches  had  been  erected  ?  Or 
were  they  the  work  of  Faith  and  Hope  ?  From  the  Cathedral 
the  Prince  went  to  the  Bom  Jesus.  On  the  steps  a  musical  per- 
formance welcomed  the  Prince,  which  he  never  heard  or  saw  the 
like  of  before.  One  tall,  lanky  native  gentleman,  whose  principal 
raiment  was  a  big  drum  slung  from  his  neck,  belabored  that 
instrument  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  held  to  his  mouth 
a  fearful  tube  of  brass,  from  which  he  compelled  the  most  dread- 


THE    BOM  JESUS.  211 

ful  sounds.  A  boy  beside  him,  without  the  benefit  of  drum, 
clanged  two  cymbals,  and  a  couple  of  youths  joined  in,  one  on  a 
kettle-drum,  the  other  on  a  drum  simple.  Above  this  din  rose 
the  ding  dong  of  the  small,  and  the  sonorous  roll  of  the  great, 
bells  of  the  church,  and  the  barking  of  noisy  curs.  There  were 
no  beggars,  and  that  for  the  reason  that  there  were  no  people  to 
be  begged  of.  The  Bom  Jesus  is  chiefly  noted  for  the  shrine  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier,  a  man  whom  the  churches  of  the  world  may 
unite  in  accepting  as  a  true  Apostle.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  and  one  of  the  richest  objects  of  the  kind  which 
can  be  seen  anywhere.  But  it  is  placed  in  a  very  small,  dark 
chapel,  and  can  scarcely  be  conveniently  examined.  The  treas- 
uries, full  of  gold  and  silver  cups  for  the  sacred  elements,  were 
opened,  and  their  contents  and  many  curiosities  were  exhibited ; 
then  the  Prince,  having  thanked  the  clergymen  who  had  been  his 
guides,  got  into  a  mancheel  and  was  carried  down  to  the  landing- 
place.  There  was  by  this  time  one  beggar — a  fakir — and  he  got 
nothing.  The  Governor  took  the  Prince  a  little  run  up  the  river 
in  the  steam-launch,  but  they  did  not  go  so  far  as  was  intended. 
The  Portuguese  gentlemen  said,  however,  that  they  did  this  to 
please  the  Prince,  and  that  to  please  themselves  they  would 
never  dream  of  going  abroad  in  a  heat  of  85°  in  the  shade.  The 
party  returned  by  .water  to  Panjim — indeed,  it  would  seem  as  if 
there  were  no  good  roads  inland — and  then  left  the  boats  for  the 
despatch  vessel,  the  heat  being  too  great  to  render  it  agreeable 
to  land. 

At  1 2  o'clock  the  May  Frere  left,  with  the  Prince  and  Gover- 
nor, for  the  Serapis,  where  lunch  was  served  at  1.30  p.  M.  The 
Prince  took  the  Governor  and  suite  over  the  ship,  with  which 
they  were  delighted.  At  3  P.  M.  his  Excellency  took  leave  of  his 
Royal  Highness,  who  bade  him  good-by  at  the  top  of  the  main- 
deck  ladder.  The  Raleigh  hoisted  the  Portuguese  standard  at 
the  main,  manned  yards,  ancl  fired  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns. 

Smooth  as  the  sea  was,  the  surf  ran  heavily  on  the  spit  at  the 
entrance  to  the  river  ;  one  of  the  boats  of  the  Raleigh,  in  charge 
of  Lieutenant  Kingscote,  was  swamped  in  the  course  of  the  day. 


212  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

But  the  chance  of  an  upset  was  rather  appetizing.  There  was 
not  much  danger — no  sharks,  it  was  said — and  at  4  p.  M.  a  boat 
pulled  off  to  fish  on  the  beach.  The  Prince  decided  on  going 
later,  when  he  had  finished  his  letters.  I  am  not  quite  sure  that 
his  Royal  Highness's  determination  caused  unalloyed  satisfaction, 
for  the  risk  in  the  surf  would  be  increased  by  darkness.  The 
Prince  turned  out  in  fishing-clothes,  which  would  have  done  very 
well  "for  the  hill."  The  boat  was  towed  out  by  a  launch  ;  but 
before  the  Prince  reached  the  shore  a  breaker  struck  the  stern, 
and  thoroughly  drenched  him  and  the  Duke  of  Sutherland.  It 
was  just  enough  to  laugh  at — the  sea-water  was  warm  and  the 
beach  was  near.  The  fires  lighted  on  the  beach  showed  where 
the  first  party  were  drawing  the  nets.  The  fishing  was  pleasant, 
if  not  profitable.  The  natives  are  to  be  credited  with  a  strong 
love  of  sport,  for,  as  fuel  was  not  abundant,  they  came  down  with 
parts  of  their  houses  and  contributed  to  the  fires  on  the  beach. 
The  sailors,  hauling  at  the  seine,  delighted  at  seeing  the  Prince 
and  his  friends  working  in  the  water,  waded  and  swam  cheerily 
in  the  surf ;  but  big  fish  were'  not  in  the  way,  and  after  three 
draws  of  the  net  there  remained  on  the  beach  only  thirty  skate 
(maiden  ray)  and  some  dozens  of  a  fish  like  a  sardine,  only 
somewhat  larger,  which  were  certainly  inferior  to  the  poor  Medi- 
terranean article,  and  tasted,  when  cooked  next  morning,  accord, 
ing  to  a  high  authority,  "  like  flannel  stuffed  with  pins."  Still 
there  was  the  sense  of  doing  something,  and  there  was  plenty  of 
laughter.  At  midnight  the  Prince  and  party  returned,  "  wet  to 
the  skin,"  and  woke  the  sleepers  to  tell  them  what  had  happened. 
Every  one  was  very  glad  to  see  all  safe  on  board  again.  As 
soon  as  the  Prince  returned,  a  boat  was  sent  off  to  the  May 
Frere,  which  proceeded  to  Bombay  with  the  mail  bags  to  catch 
the  outgoing  steamer  of  November  29th. 

November  28. — The  Serapis  lay  at  anchor  all  night,  guarded 
by  the  Raleigh.  As  the  sun,  heralded  by  a  glorious  golden  haze, 
rose  behind  the  line  of  the  purple  ghauts  and  flung  its  rays  into 
the  blue,  yet  rejoicing  in  its  myriad  stars,  the  crew  warmed  into 
life  in  the  hard  and  very  practical  manner  of  men  who  go  down 


COAST    SCENERY.  213 

to  the  sea  in  ships,  and  whose  business  is  upon  the  waters. 
Pumps  were  rigged  and  hose  laid  out  to  wash  the  decks,  and 
douse  the  unhappy  natives  who  are  unwary  enough  to  sleep  "  all 
over  the  place,. "  Sufferers  who  have  been  awakened,  as  they 
slept  on  the  deck  of  a  Peninsular  and  Oriental  steamer  in  the 
Red  Sea,  will  quite  understand  the  operation.  At  5.30  A.  M.  the 
Scrapis  weighed  anchor,  and  ran  along  the  shore  for  Beypore  at 
a  speed  of  10^  knots  an  hour,  accompanied  by  her  guardian  and 
the  Royal  yacht.  Sea  smooth ;  the  irresistible  thermometer  at 
80°.  Coast  ten  miles  off — brown  bluffs  and  rocky  promontories 
fending  off  the  waves,  a  rugged  line  of  blue  hills  in  the  distance 
— and  in  the  intermediate  space  rolling  land,  timbered  or  cleared. 
There  are  no  pirates  to  vex  commerce  now;  yet  it  is  not  so  very 
long  ago  that  the  British  Government,  represented  by  the  Hon- 
orable East  India  Company,  made  treaties  with  the  Angria 
family — a  race  of  pirate  chiefs  haunting  this  very  coast.  A 
Hindoo  pirate  seems  to  be  an  anomalous  personage,  but  he  is 
not  much  stranger  than  an  Abyssinian  admiral,  and  these  were 
once,  as  we  have  seen,  very  considerable  powers  on  the  West 
Coast  of  India.  Marmagoa  and  St.  George's  Islands  were  seen 
in  due  course.  At  8.15  A.  M.  we  passed  Cape  Ramas,  "a  high 
bluff  headland,  forming  in  two  level  points  when  seen  from  north 
or  south."  There  were  several  white  objects  on  the  shore,  which 
were  explained  to  us  to  be  Portuguese  churches,  but  which  had 
the  look  of  Nestorian  places  of  worship,  such  as  were  common 
further  south.  About  9.30  A.  M.  the  squadron  was  again  off 
British  territory ;  Polem,  the  Portuguese  frontier  town  which  lies 
east  of  Loliem  Point,  being  twelve  miles  south  of  Ramas.  The 
heat  increased,  and  was  87°  between  decks  at  dinner  time. 
Lord  Carington,  who  was  a  little  hit  by  the  sun  because  he  will, 
in  his  unselfish  way,  persist  in  taking  the  last  and  the  worst 
place  wherever  it  can  be  found,  is  himself  again  ;  but,  per  concra, 
Lord  C.  Beresford  is  obliged,  after  his  night's  fishing,  "  to  lie 
up."  At  noon  we  were  in  lat.  14°  29'  N.,  long.  74°  3'  E.,  60 
miles  from  Goa.  Divine  service  on  the  quarter-deck  at  n 
o'clock.  The  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth  and  Mr.  Yorkj  the  chap- 


214  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

lain  of  the  Sercipis,  officiated.  There  is  an  excellent  harmonium 
on  board,  on  which  one  of  the  band  plays.  The  reading-desk, 
covered  with  a  handsome  flag,  is  on  the  port  side.  The  Prince's 
chair  is  placed  beside  the  harmonium,  opposite  the  desk ;  there 
is  a  double  row  of  chairs  from  the  Prince's  left,  and  from  the 
reading-desk  and  pulpit  to  the  deck  saloon.  The  suite  sit  here, 
Captain  Glyn  facing  the  Prince  and  next  to  the  clergyman.  At 
right  angles  to  these,  extending  aft,  are  chairs  and  benches  for 
the  officers  of  the  ship  ;  behind  the  Prince,  on  the  starboard  side, 
are  the  bandsmen  of  the  choir,  the  Marines  and  sailors  ;  the 
domestics  of  the  Prince  and  of  his  suite  are  on  the  starboard 
side  of  the  deck,  in  a  line  with  the  Staff  and  suite. 

November  29. — Passed  Sacrifice  Island  at  8  A.  M.  ;  Cabo  an 
hour  earlier.  Rocky  ridges  covered  with  sea  eagles  close  at 
hand.  Beypore  was  in  sight  in  an  hour  more;  and  about  9.30 
A.  M.  the  squadron  anchored  a  couple  of  miles  from  the  bar,  just 
within  view  of  the  Bsypore  Railway  Station.  At  10.15  A.  M.  an 
effete  little  steamer,  called  the  Margaret  Northcote,  crawled  up 
alongside  from  shore,  and  anchored  a  cable's  length  off ;  and 
presently  a  boat  came  off  with  Mr.  Robinson,  Mr.  Macgregor, 
Mr.  Logan,  and  Dr.  Houston,  in  full  uniform — and  very  hot  it 
was  indeed — and  put  them  on  board  the  Serapis.  The  reports 
of  the  medical  officers  and  of  the  authorities  were  conclusive — 
cholera  existed  along  the  routes  which  the  Prince  would  have 
had  to  take.  It  is  easy  to  say  that  there  was  cholera  in  the 
places  visited  by  the  Prince  subsequently ;  but  how  fearful  a 
censure  would  have  fallen  on  the  officer  responsible  for  the 
health  and  safety  of  his  Royal  Highness  if  he  had  recommended 
a  visit  which  turned  out  disastrously  !  The  gentlemen  did  not 
give  any  advice,  but  they  approved  Dr.  Fayrer's  recommenda- 
tion, although  they  knew  what  chagrin  it  would  cause.  The 
shooting-camps  had  been  formed  with  infinite  labor  and  expense. 
Bangalore  had  arrayed  everything  that  luxury  could  suggest  or 
wealth  procure  for  the  occasion.  The  Mysore  Government  had 
spent  many  thousand  pounds  on  preparations  for  the  Prince's 
reception.  Ootacamund  was  on  the  tip-toe  of  expectation,  an<3 


MORE  CHOLERA.  215 

the  good  people  of  the  Station  had  laid  out  money  in  the  most 
lavish  manner  ;  the  Raja  of  Travancore  had  been  living  in  the 
hope  that  he  would  have  the  honor,  for  which  he  had  made 
magnificent  outlay,  of  being  the  host  of  the  Prince.  For  hun- 
dreds of  miles  the  whole  population  was  stirred  with  the  same 
expectancy.  All  this  was  true,  but  it  was  true  too  that  there  was 
the  cholera  among  them.  Dr.  Houston  was  of  opinion  that  there 
was  no  reason  to  prevent  any  one  visiting  the  shooting  district. 
There  was  cholera  certainly,  but  then  there  is  always  cholera 
more  or  less  about  these  parts.  At  Alipee  there  had  been  twenty- 
one  cases  in  a  month ;  at  Cottiam  fourteen  cases  in  a  month  ; 
there  were  cases  at  Mysore  and  at  Bangalore ;  in  fact,  cholera 
was  to  be  found  all  over  the  country.  One  place  alone  was 
free — Trivandrum.  "  Let  the  Prince  go  to  Trivandrum,  then. 
The  Raja  of  Travancore  is  there."  Alas  !  "  There  is  nothing  to 
shoot  at  Trivandrum."  And  to  make  matters  more  aggravating, 
it  was  announced  that  the  Annamally  and  "Michael's  Valley" 
were  swarming  with  bison  and  deer.  Deer  may  be  killed  else- 
where, but  the  last  chance  of  bison  is  lost  when  this  part  of 
Southern  India  is  abandoned. 

The  Prince  bore  the  disappointment  with  much  philosophy  ; 
and  as  there  was  no  need  of  hurrying  to  reach  Ceylon,  proposed 
to  run  up  the  river  to-day,  and  accordingly  set  out  in  the  launch, 
which  towed  a  dingy,  for  a  little  excursion. 

The  bar  is  dangerous  in  bad  weather,  and  though  it  was 
quite  calm,  a  "  good  lump  "  of  a  swell  was  on.  There  must  be 
abundance  of  fish  here.  Shoals  of  a  pretty  grey  mullet-looking 
sort  leap  out  of  the  water  continually ;  one  came  into  the  boat, 
another  would  have  done  so  but  that  an  arm  was  in  the  way.  A 
shoal  of  very  large  but  exceedingly  knowing  porpoises  led  the 
launch  astray  in  a  bootless  chase.  They  rose,  spouting  and 
puffing  in  the  sunshine — their  black  sides  shining  as  if  they 
were  clad  in  macintoshes — dived  deep  in  the  blue  wave,  and  full 
of  their  tricks  went  off  below  in  quite  a  wrong  direction  for  the 
sportsman,  who  pursued  only  to  see  them,  at  the  next  "  show," 
twice  as  far.  On  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  close  to  the  water's 


2l6  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

edge,  stand  the  few  houses  which  constitute  the  town  of  Beypore, 
A  lofty  flag-staff,  dressed  with  many  colors,  a  reception  platform, 
and  an  avenue  lined  with  green  branches  and  wreaths,  marked 
the  Railway  Terminus,  where  it  was  hoped  the  Prince  would 
have  been  received.  The  river  is  not  more  than  250  or  200 
yards  wide  above  the  town ;  palm-trees  clothe  its  sides  as  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach  Occasionally  one  makes  out  in  the  gloom 
beneath  the  branches  the  low  roof  of  the  native  mansion  thatched 
with  leaves,  but  there  .is  no  appearance  of  towns  or  villages. 
The  launch  steamed  against  the  stream  and  the  ebbing  tide,  and 
attracted  some — but  not  any  great — attention  from  the  fishermen 
and  boatmen,  and  we  began  to  look  out  for  game,  for  Mr.  Logan 
said  crocodiles  were  plenty.  At  one  place  some  of  the  party 
went  ashore  and  found  a  family  of  boat-builders  at  their  occupa- 
tion. Mr.  Logan  explaining  that  we  wanted  cocoa-nuts,  off 
went  two  of  their  number,  who  scrambled  up  trees  like  monkeys 
and  came  down  with  a  dozen.  These  they  trimmed  with  their 
axes,  cut  off  a  piece  at  the  top  and  held  up  the  natural  goblet 
full  of  vegetable  milk  to  thirsty  lips. 

Mr,  Robinson  was  anxious^  however,  that  the  Prince  should 
not  land.  The  "Moplahs"  are  not  to  be  trusted.  These  people 
are  descended  from  Arabs  who,  at  their  first  coming,  married 
the  Indian  women,  but  they  now  marry  among  their  own  people 
exclusively.  Active  merchants,  keen  traders,  industrious  agricul- 
turists, they  are  fanatical  and  furious  in  matters  pertaining  to 
their  faith,  and  under  the  influence  of  a  very  bigoted  priesthood. 
A  Moplah  is  ready  to  sacrifice  his  life  at  any  moment  in  order 
to  take  that  of  a  heretic.  Armed  with  bill-hooks,  the  Moplahs 
have  more  than  once  received  volleys  of  musketry  and  bayonet 
charges  from  European  troops  without  flinching,  and  they  have 
so  completely  cowed  the  native  troops  that  no  one  would  think 
of  sending  Sepoys  to  put  down  a  Moplah  movement.  They 
fight  till  they  fall  to  a  man.  It  is  a  pity  we  cannot  make  use  of 
such  admirable  material  for  soldiers,  but  they  will  not  serve  us. 

With  some  interest  we  asked,  when  we  saw  natives  on  the 
bank,  "  Are  they  Moplahs  ?  "  Once  only  was  the  answer  "Yes," 


THE   OTTER   HUNT.  21  / 

and  that  was  when  Muggur  Sing  ("  Crocodile  Lion  "),  one  of  the 
Punjaubee  horsemen  in  attendance  on  the  Prince,  routed  a 
woman  in  a  yellow  garment,  who,  in  apparent  trepidation,  hur- 
ried out  of  her  house  with  a  child  on  her  hip  into  the  jungle,  and 
was  followed  by  two  or  three  lads.  Just  half  a  mile  above 
the  line  of  native  vessels  moored  off  the  Railway  Station,  Mr, 
Logan,  looking  into  a  small  creek,  said,  "  There  are  otters ! " 
And  there  sure  enough,  mingled  with  bitterns  and  paddy  birds 
fishing  in  the  shallows,  were  ten  or  twelve  of  them.  They  were 
alarmed  by  the  puffing  and  screw-beat  of  the  steam-launch,  and 
began  to  edge  towards  the  cocoa-nut-trees.  The  Prince,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  FitzGeorge  and  Peter  Robertson,  got  into  the 
dingy,  and  was  rowed  gently  up  the  creek,  but  by  the  time  he 
was  within  shot  not  an  otter  could  be  seen.  The  dingy  went  on 
up  a  narrow  channel,  between  an  island  and  the  main,  to  the 
deserted  works  of  the  Porto  Nuovo  Iron  Company,  which  made 
excellent  Bessemer  steel  and  iron,  but  was  unable  to  procure 
fuel  cheap  enough  to  give  a  profit.  The  Prince,  in  spite  of  the 
sun,  the  declining  rays  of  which  struck  on  his  back  with  full 
force,  was  still  intent  on  sport,  and  kept  on  in  advance.  Gayly 
dressed  native  Christian  ladies,  floating  down  the  stream  to  have 
a  look  at  the  Prince,  little  dreamt  that  the  Sahib  in  the  small 
boat  who  was  "  pottering  about "  the  river  was  the  Shahzadah. 

On  an  eminence  crested  with  trees  could  be  seen  the  ruins 
of  one  of  Tippoo's  forts.  "  Do  the  people  remember  Tippoo  ?  '5 
"  Oh  dear,  yes  !  He  gave  them  good  reason  to  remember  him 
and  his  doings,  and  they  talk  of  him  still."  It  is  the  immortality 
of  those  who  vex  their  kind — "on  parlera  de  sa  gloire."  Sud- 
denly a  shot  was  heard,  the  dingy  pulled  vigorously  towards  a 
circle  in  the  water.  An  otter  had  been  hit.  It  rose  and  made 
for  the  bank,  was  struck  by  a  second  shot,  and  sank.  "  The 
divers  shall  get  it  to-morrow  morning,"  said  Mr.  Logan  (a  very 
difficult  matter,  one  would  think,  but  he  assured  us  that  there 
were  pearl  divers  at  Beypore  who  could  stay  five  minutes  under 
water — on  the  which  depends  a  bet),  and  so  the  chase  continued. 
Then  another  shot  was  heard,  and  Peter  Robertson,  in  mortal 


2l8  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

fear  of  snakes  and  alligators,  was  sent  ashore  to  beat  the  jungle. 
"  Crocodile  Lion  "  was  sent  to  the  other  bank.  Eventually  an 
otter,  wounded  so  severely  that  it  could  scarcely  crawl  up  the 
bank,  was  driven  out ;  but  the  creature  was  so  tenacious  of  life, 
and  so  crafty  that  it  was  not  possible  to  find  him  in  the  thick 
brushwood  and  rocks.  It  was  now  6  p.  M.,  and  it  was  getting 
dark ;  Captain  Gilham,  our  pilot,  became  anxious  ;  the  Prince, 
disappointed  at  the  loss  of  three  otters,  came  into  the  launch, 
where  the  cocoa-nuts  full  of  milk  were  very  welcome.  As  the 
launch  and  dingy  in  tow  passed  Beypore,  blue  lights  were  burnt 
and  music  was  heard — a  "  fantasia  "  was  going  on  to  console 
the  people  for  losing  the  Prince's  visit.  The  bar  was  passed  at 
reduced  speed,  as  there  was  a  long  and  heavy  swell  on.  As  the 
launch  ran  by  the  ever-watchful  Osborne,  a  blue  light  was  burnt. 
It  was  answered  by  a  rocket  and  two  blue  lights  from  the  Serapis. 
In  five  minutes  more  his  Royal  Highness  was  on  the  companion- 
ladder  of  the  great  ship,  the  side's  of  which  gave  the  idea  of  a 
street  with  triple  row  of  gaslights.  The  Prince's  absence  had 
created  a  little  uneasiness  on  board,  and  the  steam-launch  had 
been  got  out.  Mr.  Logan  and  Captain  Gilham  went  on  board 
their  steamer,  and  at  7  p.  M.  the  Serapis  and  Osborne,  escorted 
by  the  Raleigh,  weighed  and  steered  for  Colombo. 

November  30. — At  7  A.  M.  wind  light,  sea  smooth ;  speed, 
10  to  ioJ/2  knots;  thermometer,  80°;  land  scarcely  visible  on 
port  side.  At  8  A.  M.  faint  blue  mountain  outlines  in  the  distance, 
which  gradually  became  better  defined.  At  10  A.  M.  the  coast 
was  closely  approached  again — that  is,  within  eight  or  nine  miles 
— the  unfailing  band  of  cocoa-nut-palms  running  along  the  beach, 
and  the  mountain  ranges  of  Cochin  and  Travancore  in  the  dis- 
tance. Found  that  the  bath-pipes  were  doing  the  duty  of  the 
bilge-water-pipes,  which  rendered  bathing  not  quite  so  agreeable 
as  it  might  otherwise  have  been. 

At  noon  the  squadron  was  off  Quilon.  Our  latitude  was  8° 
51'  N.,  long.  76°  29' E.,  distance  run  since  yesterday  153  miles, — 
difference  between  reckonings  showed  a  current  of  20  miles 
against  the  ship.  The  Fort  of  Tangacheri,  with  flag-staff  —  a 


THE   TAMBARETTES.  2IQ 

British  ensign  hoisted  on  the  staff — and  the  houses  could  be 
easily  made  out.  Then  came  in  sight  the  first  of  the  remarkable 
churches,  built  on  the  very  verge  of  the  beach,  at  intervals  of 
two  or  three  miles  apart,  as  far  as  Comorin,  which  attest  the 
existence — alas  !  many  centuries  ago — of  considerable  Christian 
communities  and  successful  missionary  labors.  Their  uniform 
elevation,  snow-white  frontages,  and  apparently  complete  pres- 
ervation, render  them  singularly  conspicuous  and  interesting 
objects  from  the  sea.  The  track  of  whales  became  obvious. 
They  spouted!  "To  arms!"  was  the  call  on  the  main-deck; 
several  rifle  shots  were  fired,  but  none  of  the  whales  seemed  to 
mind.  At  3  o'clock  P.  M.  Trivandrum,  and  an  Observatory  be- 
longing to  the  Raja,  were  in  sight.  The  Raja  of  Travancore  is, 
in  spite  of  his  Observatory  and  his  attainments  and  science  a 
very  strict  Hindoo.  He  rules  a  fair  domain.  It  is  said  to  be 
one  of  the  few  States  which  have  always  been  under  Hindoo  rule 
and  governed  by  Hindoo  laws,  but  these  latter,  which  dated 
from  1490,  were  modified  in  1811.  The  succession  is  in  the 
female  line — that  is,  the  Raja  is  succeeded  by  the  son  of  his 
daughter,  not  by  his  son  ;  and  the  tales  in  connection  with  this 
singular  custom  are  curious.  The  history  of  the  Tambarettes, 
or  Hereditary  Queens  of  Travancore,  may  be  one  of  the  most 
interesting  in  the  pages  of  romance  ;  but  we  know  little  or  noth- 
ing of  it.  Who  was  the  young  Englishman,  for  instance,  with 
whom  the  Queen  fell  in  love,  and  whom,  though  he  declined  to 
marry  her,  she  sent  away,  in  1685,  loaded  with  presents  ?  How 
did  he  get  to  Trivandrum,  and  how  did  he  leave  ?  and  where 
did  he  go  to  ?  and  why  did  he  refuse  her  hand  ?  Anjengo,  higher 
up  on  the  coast,  was,  says  Mr.  Eastwick,  the  birthplace  of 
Sterne's  Eliza,  and  of  Orme,  the  historian  of  British  India.  No- 
body whom  any  one  cares  about  seems  to  be  born  in  India  now, 
neither  heroine  nor  historian.  The  coast  line  maintains  almost  a 
uniform  character  to  Cape  Comorin, — a  belt  of  yellow  sand,  on 
which  break  the  great  snow-white  rollers;  native  boats,  looking 
like  basking  alligators,  drawn  up  on  the  beach ;  Nestorian 
churches  flecking  with  white  patches  the  cocoa-nut-tree  fringe ;  a 


220 


THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 


flat  stretch  of  green  to  the  great  wall  of  mountains,  broken  at  the 
summit  into  peaks,  conical  or  rounded,  and  jagged  outlines  and 
^aw-edges  at  elevations  varying  from  3000  feet  to  6000  feet. 
Several  waterfalls  seamed  the  lofty  ridges  of  the  towering  back- 
ground. At  5  P.  M.  Cape  Comorin  was  well  in  sight — "  the  end 
of  India."  The  Cape  is  flat  and  sharp  ;  the  cocoa-nut-palm 
pursues  it  out  to  the  verge  of  the  ocean.  Behind  rise  the  Ghauts, 
their  summits  covered  with  mist.  The  villagers  could  be  seen 
pointing  out  the  flotilla,  and  gazing  westwards  in  the  track  of 
the  setting  sun. 

At  7  P.  M.  it  began  to  blow,  and  at  8.30  P.  M.  a  swish  of  a  sea 
came  in  through  the  windows  on  the  port  side,  and  flooded  the 
cabins  of  General  Probyn  and  Colonel  Ellis.  The  night  was 
squally ;  nevertheless,  there  were  festivities  on  board,  for  the 
promotion  of  Lord  C.  Beresford  to  be  commander  was  duly  cele- 
brated at  a  dinner  presided  over  by  his  Royal  Highness,  to  which 
Captain  Glyn  and  all  the  officers  of  the  Serapis  were  invited,  and 
after  which  the  Ethiopian  serenaders  performed  on  deck. 


"IT'S  NAE  THE  TIGERS  THAT  FEAR  ME,   IT'S  JUST  THE   SAIRPENTS  AND 

THE  LIKE  o'  THEY!" 


LANDING  AT   COLOMBO. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

COLOMBO,    KANDY,    CEYLON,    TO    TUTICORIN. 

Colombo  in  sight — Taprobane— Birthday  of  the  Princess — The  Landing  at 
Ceylon — Departure  for  Kandy — RaiJroad  Scenery — Kandy — Blood-suck- 
ers— The  Pera-hara — The  Botanical  Gardens  of  Ceylon — "  Lightly 
tread  !  "—The  Sacred  Tooth— The  double  Imposture— Buddhist  Priests 
— Along  the  Road — A  curious  "Bag" — Leech-gaiters — The  Stockade — 
Don  Tuskerando — "  Dead,  sure  enough !  " — Agri-Horticultural  Exhibi- 
tion— The  Colombo  Ball — Tamil  Coffee  Pickers — The  Evil  One  in  Cey- 
lon. 

DECEMBER  i. — Colombo  lights  were  in  sight  before  daybreak. 
The  Serapis  seemed  inclined  to  justify  certain  traditions  relative 
to  her  extraordinary  powers  of  rolling  last  night ;  but  if  any  one 
on  board  felt  inclined  to  consider  himself  unfortunate,  he  had 
only  to  look,  if  he  could.,  out  of  his  port  in  the  early  morning  at 
the  Osborne,  and  see  what  remarkable  ups  and  downs  she  was 


222  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

undergoing.  Nevertheless,  our  stately  vessel  rolled  at  times 
quite  enough  to  divert  the  thoughts  of  most  of  us  from  compari- 
son with  anything  outside  the  cabins  in  our  ship.  The  "  bear- 
ings "  at  last  became  heated  in  their  controversy  with  the  waves, 
and  the  speed  was  necessarily  reduced,  so  that  the  Serapis  was 
late,  and  was  not  able  to  come  to  anchor  in  Colombo  Roads 
within  three  hours  o  the  time  appointed  by  telegraph,  which  is 
quite  enough  to  demonstrate  the  force  of  the  breeze.  As  the 
morning  dawned — a  gradual  spread  of  lighter  grey  over  the  dull 
pall,  charged  wiih  rain  and  thunder,  which  rested  on  the  land— 
the  look-out  was  not  cheerful.  There  was  no  patch  of  blue  in 
the  sky.  Taprobane'  was  sulky,  and  refused  to  put  on  smiles  for 
her  visitor.  There  was  nothing  bright  or  lively  to  meet  the  eye, 
except  the  white  surf  which  broke  on  the  low  coast-line,  and 
washed  the  base  of  the  interminable  array  of  cocoa-nut-trees 
which  guarded  it.  The  mountain  ranges  were  hidden  in  vapors 
and  rain-banks,  against  which  the  sea-gulls  seemed  of  snowy 
whiteness.  The  Cingalese  outriggers,  many  miles  from  land, 
provided  with  long  wooden  arms,  projecting  at  right  angles 
to  the  side  to  sustain  the  log  of  wood  which  balances  the  craft 
against  the  pressure  of  the  sail  in  the  heaviest  seas,  and  prevents 
the  long,  narrow  hull  capsizing,  with  crews  out  on  the  log,  buried 
now  and  then  to  the  waists  in  the  curling  waves,  threaded  their 
way  through  the  muddy-looking  waters,  other  catamarans,  canoes, 
ballams,  and  doneys  were  engaged  in  fishing  nearer  shore,  and 
the  number  of  these  to  the  north  was  so  great  as  to  suggest  the 
idea  of  large  flocks  of  ducks.  These  boats,  no  matter  what  their 
size,  are  made  with  pegs  of  wood  instead  of  iron,  and  the  planks 
are  sewn  together,  carvel  fashion,  by  fine  cocoa-nut-fibre  rope  or 
cord.  The  gunwales  are  sometimes  surmounted  by  a  course  of 
wicker-work  or  compost,  to  keep  out  the  lap  of  the  water.  The 
Greeks  in  Homer's  day  used  bulwarks  of  osiers  to  exclude  the 
waves.  Similar  contrivances  may  be  seen  in  the  Nile  boats,  and 
even  on  board  the  less  advanced  condition  of  Thames  billyboys. 
Very  likely  the  Cingalese  boats  remain  as  they  were  in  the  ear- 
liest days,  and  that  the  story  of  the  Loadstone  Mountain,  which 


TAPROBANE.  223 

drew  the  iron  bolts  out  of  ships,  and  caused  them  to  fall  to 
pieces,  had  its  origin  in  the  error  of  some  wandering  navigator  in 
these  seas.  As  the  Serapis  swept  by,  the  crews — wiry,  lithe-figured 
men,  all  but  naked,  their  black  skins  shining  in  the  spray — stared 
for  a  while,  open-mouthed,  and  then  resumed  their  labors  at  oar, 
or  rope,  or  net. 

The  approach  to  the  coast  of  the  great  island,  the  fame  of 
which  has  exercised  such  an  influence  over  men's  minds  for 
many  centuries, — Taprobane, — the  mother-land  of  fables, — the 
country  which  to  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  the  Egyptians  and 
the  Arabs,  offered  the  same  mysterious  attractions  that  the  East 
long  did  to  the  people  of  Western  Europe, — was  regarded  with 
much  interest.  Every  eye  was  fixed  on  the  fast  developing  out- 
lines of  the  landscape,  which  grew  more  distinct  as  the  morning 
advanced,  and  the  wealth  of  greenness  which  renders  Ceylon 
"  an  Emerald  Isle"  indeed,  displayed  itself  from  the  beach  up 
to  the  swelling  hills,  the  summits  of  which  were  lost  in  curling 
clouds.  The  Prince  went  up  on  the  bridge.  The  "spicy  breezes," 
of  which  poets  and  prose  writers  speak,  did  not  come  out 
to  sea  to  warn  us  of  the  nearness  of  the  land,  where  so  many 
flowers  are  said  to  impregnate  the  air  with  their  odors — 

"  Spargon  dall'  odorifero  terreno 
Tanta  suavita,  che  in  mar  sentire 
La  fa  ogni  vento  che  da  terra  spire." 

In  fact,  the  odor  which  the  traveller  encounters  near  the  pearl 
fisheries  is  anything  but  that  of  spices,  aromatic  plants,  and 
sweet  flowers ;  and  if  he  goes  "  in  the  height  of  the  season," 
and  has  the  wind  off  the  heaps  of  oyster-shells,  he  will  feel  sorry 
he  has  a  nose  to  smell  withal. 

First  as  ever  to  welcome  the  Prince  to  new  lands,  the  waving 
white  ensigns  and  the  tall  masts  of  the  men-of-war  were  made 
out,  all  dressed  in  colors.  Then  by  degrees  the  modest  eleva- 
tions of  Christian  steeples,  the  Semaphore,  the  Dutch  fortifica- 
tions, attributed  to  Cohorn  himself,  the  white-walled,  red-tiled 
bungalows  along  the  beach,  and  the  houses  set  in  the  never-fail- 


224  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

ing  frame  of  green  cocoa-nut-palms.  There  was  amid  this  green 
a  fluttering  of  many  colors,  as  if  a  dejected  rainbow  had  been 
caught  and  was  striving  to  get  free,  which  was,  the  glass  told  us, 
the  play  of  innumerable  flags  and  streamers.  The  Pilot  came  on 
board.  The  fleets,  with  the  flags  of  two  Admirals  (Macdonald 
and  Lambert)  flying,  slauted,  but  the  Scrapis  was  rather  too  far 
out.  The  rule  is  that  the  Royal  Standard  shall  be  saluted  "  as 
soon  as  it  is  seen  ; "  but  if  the  salute  be  intended  to  gratify  as 
well  as  to  honor,  there  ought  to  be  somediscretion  in  the  matter. 
In  the  present  instance  all  that  could  be  seen  was  a  cloud  of 
smoke,  which  hid  Colombo  for  a  while,  and  then  we  heard  a  dis- 
tant rumble.  In  three-quarters  of  an  hour  more  the  Serapis  had 
found  her  way  to  her  anchorage.  On  such  occasions  the  admi- 
rals and  senior  officers  are  the  first  to  come  on  board  to  pay 
their  respects.  It  was  somewhat  too  rough  in  the  open  road- 
stead for  spectators  in  fine  clothes  to  come  out  in  the  shore- 
boats.  The  Governor's  aides-de-camp  put  out  from  a  little  bay 
sheltered  by  a  reef  (probably  the  "J:o?  ayjmv"')  on  which  the 
surf  broke  with  fury,  sending  showers  of  spray  high  in  the  air, 
and  causing  some  uneasiness  as  to  our  comfort  in  going  on  shore ; 
but  the  pilot  told  us  that  the  jetty  and  platform  where  the  Prince 
would  land  were  protected  from  the  swell  The  officers  came  to 
take  orders,  and  await  the  Royal  pleasure  as  to  the  disembarka- 
tion. Whilst  they  were  explaining  the  programme  of  addresses, 
receptions,  and  the  like,  there  was  plenty  to  interest  those  who 
had  never  been  in  Ceylon  before.  The  native  boats,  with  stores 
of  novel  merchandise  and  strange  fruit,  and — what  were  of  more 
novelty  and  strangeness  —  Cingalese  bumboatmen,  fruiterers, 
jewellers,  officials,  telegraph  clerks,  and  %  post-office  employes,  in 
the  native  costume,  which  is  to  European  eyes  so  extraordinary, 
— their  lower  man  swathed  in  "  women's  petticoats,"  their  hair 
worn  in  massive  rolls  at  the  back  of  the  head,  secured  by  large 
tortoise-shell  combs,  "  p.aAMnq  yuyaixstotq  els  OTTCV  ayadede/jL&(i<;"  as 
Ptolemy  wrote, — exposing  them  to  a  certain  amount  of  what  is 
called  '''chaff,"  which  they  bore  with  dignified  composure,  either 
because  they  were  ignorant  or  accustomed.  At  one  o'clock  the 


BIRTHDAY    OF    THE   PRINCESS.  225 

Serapis  made  signal  to  the  fleet ;  soon  afterwards,  a  Royal  salute 
from  ships  and  forts  and  a  feu  dc  joie  on  shore  celebrated  the 
anniversary  of  the  Princess  of  Wales'  birthday.*  The  Governor 
was  waiting  to  be  summoned  on  board.  After  a  time  he  was 
signalled  for,  and,  attended  by  the  higher  officers  of  the  Govern- 
ment, came  off  in  his  galley,  towed  by  a  steam-barge.  They 
were  not  sorry  to  reach  the  deck  of  the  Serapis :  it  seemed  as  if 
they  could  not  get  on  board  without  a  drenching,  and  they 
hopped  out  on  the  ladder  with  great  alacrity.  Mr.  Gregory  has 
long  had  the  honor  of  the  Prince's  acquaintance,  and  was  cor- 
dially received.  Major-General  Street,  C.  B.,  the  officer  com- 
manding the  forces,  Mr.  Birch,  the  Colonial  Secretary,  and  the 
Staff,  were  presented,  and  then  the  Governor  and  the  authorities 
returned  to  shore,  where  they  were  anxiously  expected  by  a  great 
crowd  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  all  parts  of  the  island,  some 
of  whom,  we  were  told,  had  been  in  their  places  since  6  o'clock 
that  morning.  It  was  nearly  4  p.  M.  before  the  Prince  left  the 
Serapis.  He  was  in  the  uniform,  adapted  to  Indian  latitudes,  of 
Field -MarshaJ — white  trousers,  and  plumed  helmet.  His  steam- 
launch  was  preceded  by  one  with  a  portion  of  his  suite,  whose 
appearance  created  a  great  commotion  at  the  landing-place. 
The  Undaunted,  Narcissus,  Immortalite,  and  Newcastle  fired  a 
salute  just  as  the  launch's  bows,  rising  on  the  crest  of  a  sea, 
appeared  round  the  Point.  Tremendous  cheering,  mingled  with 
wild  cries,  made  the  recipients  of  the  undeserved  honor  feel  all 
the  pangs  of  men  engaged  in  unwitting  imposture  speedily  to  be 
detected.  It  was  a  very  pretty  sight  which  met  their  eyes  shore- 
wards — a  broad  water  avenue  formed  by  lines  of  native  boats 
draped  with  bright-colored  streamers  and  banners,  garlanded 
with  flowers  and  wreaths  of  cocoa-nut-leaves,  and  crowded  with 
spectators  and  bands  of  native  musicians.  The  Landing-Place 
at  the  end  of  this  marine  avenue  was  enclosed  by  a  gay  pavilion, 
which  was  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps,  covered  with  scarlet  cloth, 

*  The  members  of  the  suite  sent  a  telegram  to  Sandringham  congratu-  ' 
latiug  her  Royal  Highness  on  the  happy  recurrence  of  the  day,  to  which  they 
received  a  gracious  reply  at  Colombo  the  same  evening. 
10*  15 


226  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

leading  under  a  very  striking  archway,  which  was  decorated  very 
tastefully  with  flags  and  wreaths ;  but  what  satisfied  the  eye,  and 
at  the  same  time  caused  something  like  regret  at  such  wasteful- 
ness, was  the  display,  as  mere  ornament,  of  masses  of  fruit — 
jack,  limes,  oranges,  shaddocks,  plantains,  pine-apples,  figs,  cus- 
tard-apples, mangoes,  &c.,  &c.  Everywhere  flags,  fruit,  cocoa- 
nuts,  flowers  and  palm-leaves,  triumphal  arches.  Then,  in  long 
perspective,  more  flags  and  arches,  tiers  of  spectators  on  seats 
and  terraces,  windows  and  roofs  crowded  with  figures  and  faces. 
On  the  Landing-Platform  stood  all  the  State  of  Ceylon — the 
members  of  the  Legislative  Council  and  of  the  Municipal  Cor- 
poration ranged  at  each  side  of  the  dais  ;  a  kind  of  throne,  placed 
on  an  estrade,  was  ready  for  the  Prince ;  a  table  near  at  hand 
sustained  two  caskets.  There  was  a  guard  of  honor  of  the  57th 
Regiment  (the  old  "  Die  Hards  "),  with  band  and  colors.  Con- 
spicuous among  the  crowd  of  ladies,  some  in  what  may  be  styled 
British,  and  some  in  Anglo-Cingalese  dresses,  and  of  officers, 
civil,  naval,  and  military,  were  two  remarkable  objects — one  was 
a  group  of  officials,  in  full  Cingalese  costume — combs,  hair-rolls, 
and  petticoats  complete ;  with  very  small,  curved,  dagger-like 
swords,  broad  baldricks,  medallions,  and  large  gold  plaques,  as 
large  as  cheese-plates,  on  their  breasts  :  the  other  was  a  white- 
haired  George-Washihgton-looking  sort  of  gentleman,  in  a  black 
velvet  Court  suit,  full  lace  ruffles,  and  black  silk  stockings — which 
attracted  immediate  attention.  "  Who  are  those  natives  ? " 
"  They  are  the  Mudaliyars — Native  swells.  That  nice-looking 
old  fellow  is  a  Government  House  man,  and  he  has  got  all  those 
medals  for  good  service.  "Who  is  that  gentleman?"  The  an- 
swer— in  a  tone  of  surprise,  "What!  Don't  you  know  Mr.  Lay- 
ard  ? " — announced  that  the  gentleman  was  of  high  repute  in  Co- 
lombo. When  the  Prince  appeared,  a  few  moments  after  the  land- 
ing of  the  first  boat-load,  there  arose  a  shout  which  seemed  to 
imply  that  the  former  greeting  was  not  a  mistake  at  all,  but  a 
mere  exercise  to  clear  the  popular  throat.  The  women,  I  be- 
lieve, joined  in  it ;  but  then  no  one  can  be  quite  sure  about  them 
here.  It  was  a  very  hearty  outburst.  It  was  repeated  often- 


THE   LANDING  22? 

times,  and  for  some  moments  waves  of  exulting  sound  filled  the 
air  in  successive  volumes,  to  acknowledge  each  bow  of  the  Prince. 
Then  came  the  presentation  of  addresses  and  the  answers. 

This  ceremony  ended,  the  Prince  and  Governor  led  the  way 
up  the  avenue,  lined  by  the  5yth  and  the  Cingalese  police,  to 
the  large  Government  building  (a  custom-house,  I  believe),  at 
the  end  of  the  rows  of  reserved  seats.  The  spectators  on  each 
side  were  quite  delighted  ;  they  forgot  all  their  long  waiting. 
The  Prince  was,  as  a  lady  said  afterwards,  "  so  close  to  each 
and  all,  they  could  nearly  touch  him,  and  he  smiled  so  pleas- 
antly as  he  walked  along,  we  saw  nobody  else  !  "  Outside  the 
seats  "the  people,"  wild  with  joy;  a  wide-eyed,  large-mouthed 
people,  not  much  weighted  with  clothing,  but  in  high  animal 
spirits.  They  ran,  shoved,  leaped  up  to  get  a  view  even  of  the 
waving  plume  and  white  helmet.  Passing  through  the  halls, 
which  were  mostly  filled  with  Europeans,  the  Prince  emerged 
into  open  air  to  meet,  if  possible,  a  greater  ovation.  A  triumphal 
drive  through  the  town  and  around  by  the  Sea-Wail,  to  enable 
the  Prince  to  see  and  be  seen,  gave  renewed  occasion  to  admire 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  population,  and  wonder  at  the  profligate, 
or,  at  all  events,  exuberant,  expenditure  of  vegetable  wealth  in 
sacrificial  piles  of  fruit,  arches,  wreaths,  festoons,  garlands,  and 
at  the  quaintness  of  fancy  in  decoration,  inscription,  device,  and 
grotesque  representation  of  the  elephant — the  creature  which 
typifies  the  island.  It  was  in  some  measure  like  ?.  promenade 
in  the  covered  ways  of  a  great  horticultural  exhibition  in  full 
fete.  Thus  the  Prince,  with  the  Governor  by  his  side,  drove 
for  many  miles  all  round  by  Colpetty — surrounded  by  cocoa-nut- 
trees,  and  again  cocoa-nut-trees — the  suburban  villas  surrounded 
by  cinnamon-groves,  and  almost  buried  in  the  richness  of  real 
tropical  vegetation — and  so  "by  Galle-face  (the  Dutch  Galle- 
baak),  round  to  the  place  whence  he  set  out.  But  everything 
must  come  to  an  end,  and  as  evening  set  in  the  carriages  return- 
ed to  the  Landing,  and  the  boats  took  the  Prince  and  his  fol- 
lowing off  to  the  Serapis,  which  Captain  Glyn  would  gladly 
have  seen  in  smoother  water  ;  nor  were  there  any  who  would 


228  THE   PRINCE   OF  WALES*   TOUR. 

have  differed  with  him.  There  was  a  State  Banquet,  at  which 
the  Prince  entertained  the  Governor,  the  senior  naval  and 
military  officers  and  authorities,  and  as  many  of  the  officials  as 
the  ship*  could  accommodate.  Colombo  was  illuminated  beauti- 
fully, and  the  fleet  lighted  up.  The  planters  kept  revel  on  shore. 
Never  perhaps  were  there  more  joyous  times  in  the  island  than 
when  his  Excellency  Governor  Gregory  received  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  There  may  have  been  greater  displays  of  wealth  and 
splendor  in  the  old  days  before  them,  but  then  there  was  al- 
ways uncertainty  of  possession  and  of  life ;  there  were  wars  and 
rumors  of  war,  the  coming  of  the  spoiler,  and  the  cry  of  the 
distressed. 

December  2.  —  u There's  a  good  deal  of  sea  on,  sir;  and 
it's  likely  they  will  get  a  ducking  going  on  shore  this  morning !  " 
This  was  the  first  news  which  arrived  in  my  cabin  with  the 
seven  o'clock  cup  of  coffee  this  morning.  There  was  a  natural 
politeness  about  my  marine  which  prevented  his  saying  "you 
will  get  a  ducking  ; "  but  I  knew  quite  well  what  he  meant.  The 
sound  of  the  lapping  waves  outside  justified  the  prediction. 
Already  the  note  of  preparation  had  been  sounded  between 
decks,  and  the  servants  were  busy  in  getting  ready  for  the  jour- 
ney for  Kandy.  The  baggage  was  despatched  at  10  A.M.,  and 
the  Prince  went  on  shore  at  10.20  A.  M.  under  the  usual  salute. 
There  is  a  screen  in  the  steam-launch  to  keep  off  the  spray  from 
those  in  the  stern-sheets,  but  all  the  party  did  not  reach  the 
shore  in  dry  clothes,  and  the  state  of  the  sea  during  our  stay 
rendered  boat  work  anything  but  agreeable.  Terra  firma  at 
last —  Governor  Gregory,  Mr.  Birch,  Sir  R.  Morgan,  Mr,  Layard, 
full  uniform,  guards  of  honor,  salutes,  crowds  of  men  in  petti- 
coats, with  combs  in  front  of  their  chignons,  "  cheering  like  Brit- 
ons"— the  same  multitudes  as  yesterday — arches,  inscriptions, 
festoons,  and  cocoa-nut-tree  rejoicings — not  much  the  worse  foi 
the  day's  wear. 

From  the  Landing-Place  to  the  Railway  Station  one  clamor- 
ous crowd,  which  thinned  away  from  the  rear,  and  rolled  in  to- 
wards the  front,  around  the  cortege.  The  Cingalese  type  is  not 


DEPARTURE   FOR'  KANDY.  22Q 

strikingly  handsome  ;  the  yellow  tinge  in  the  color  of  the  skin  is 
less  pleasing — at  least  to  my  eyes — than  the  red  or  dark-brown 
hue  of  the  native  of  Upper  India ;  and  the  hair,  if  abundant,  is 
very  coarse.  The  teeth  do  not  rival  those  of  the  African,  and 
the  eyes  are  not  particularly  bright.  The  men  are  well  made, 
but  small.  As  to  the  women,  except  some  wretched  old  hags  of 
the  lower  order,  we  did  not  see  a  dozen  ;  but  as  the  carriages 
passed  through  the  suburbs  to  the  Railway  Station,  we  could 
make  out  eyes  peering  through  the  chinks  in  the  doors  and  in 
the  stockades  of  the  houses.  Amongst  the  carriages  of  the 
special  train  was  one  of  native  manufacture, — very  creditable  to 
Cingalese  builders, — light,  commodious,  well-fitted,  and  prettily 
decorated.  Well,  after  some  little  delay,  which  caused  the  usual 
disquietude  to  railway  directors,  managers,  and  engineers,  the 
Royal  train,  followed  by  loud  cheers  from  the  gentlemen  on  the 
platform,  and  by  the  multitude  outside,  moved  off  on  a  run  to 
Kandy,  which  was  from  end  to  end  a  prolonged  scene  of  excite- 
ment and  welcoming,  in  which  the  eye  turned  from  crowds  of 
people  and  arches  and  garlands  to  some  of  the  softest,  and  yet 
grandest  scenery  in  the  world.  The  day  was  fine,  with  just 
enough  of  drifting  cloud  to  cast  ever-varying  fleeting  shadows 
over  the  grand  sweep  of  hill-side,  and  there  was  that  sharpness 
of  outline  and  clearness  of  details  of  the  distant  mountain  ranges 
which  indicate  the  approach  of  rain.  The  railway  follows  the 
course  of  the  Great  Road,  which  justifies  the  skill  and  intelli- 
gence of  the  makers  half  a  century  ago.  Outside  Colombo  the 
Railway  crosses  the  river,  which  seems  scarcely  below  the  level 
of  the  surrounding  country,  now  intensely  green  with  growing 
rice.  I  am  not  about  to  describe  a  journey  which  is  made  by 
thousands  of  persons  every  year,  who  think  as  little  of  its  beau- 
ties as  if  they  were  going  by  the  Underground  Railway  from 
Charing  Cross  to  the  Mansion  House ;  but,  under  favorable 
circumstances,  I  should  think  it  well  worth  while  to  go  from 
London  to  Colombo  to  enjoy  such  scenery  as  we  beheld  to-day. 
Underneath  thick  groves  of  cocoa-nut-trees,  arecas,  and  jaggery 
(Caryota  urens),  and  an  extraordinary  profusion  of  trees — some 


23O  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*   TOUR. 

like  the  Coral  or  the  Murutu  (Erythrina  Indicd),  bearing  rich 
pink  or  crimson  flowers  ;  others  presenting  glowing  masses  of 
scarlet  buds  and  shoots ;  others,  like  the  ironwood-tree,  with 
white  flowers  and  blossoms  of  purple  or  lilac — one  caught  sight 
of  the  hamlets  in  which  dwell  the  cultivators  of  the  sea-like  ex- 
panse of  rice.  In  the  offshoots  of  the  river,  and  in  the  pools 
alongside  the  rail,  groups  of  natives  were  tubbing — an  operation 
which  is  popularly  supposed  to  be  confined  to  England,  whereas 
there  are  few  nations  in  the  world  who  use  water  so  little  for 
purpose  of  ablution  as  the  people  of  the  three  islands,  always  ex- 
cepting the  classes  with  which  within  the  last  half  century,  the 
tub  is  a  morning  institution. 

Along  the  road  are  two-wheeled  wagons,  pretty  little  humped- 
back  cattle,  pack  bullocks,  Moorish  brinjarees,  and  pedes- 
trians armed  with  the  inevitable  leaf  of  the  talipot,  which  serves 
as  an  umbrella  against  the  sun  or  rain,  as  the  case  may  be. 
Occasionally  glimpses  of  Buddhist  Temples,  perched  upon  hill- 
tops, or  half-hidden  among  the  ironwood  trees,  laden  with  white 
flowers,  which  put  one  in  mind  of  Chinese  pagodas.  Now  and 
then  a  group  of  Buddhist  priests,  in  yellow  robes,  stand  making 
surly  obeisance  by  the  roadside.  It  would  be  flattery  to  our- 
selves to  say  that  their  looks  indicated  perfect  good-will  towards 
the  travellers.  The  tonsure  does  not  by  any  means  suit  these  gen- 
tlemen, whose  ears  are  of  enormous  size,  and  whose  foreheads, 
villanous  low,  tumble  backwards  into  bulging,  bullet-shaped 
skulls.  As  far  as  Veyangoda  the  scenery  is  pleasant,  but  rather 
monotonous.  At  the  distance  of  a  few  miles  from  that  station, 
which  is  twenty-five  miles  from  Colombo,  the  ascent  becomes 
rapid,  until  we  reach  Ambapussa.  Here  the  spurs  of  the 
higher  hills  begin  to  strike  down  into  the  plains,  covered  with 
forest  so  dense  that  a  ray  of  sunshine  piercing  it  seems,  in  the 
darkness,  like  a  polished  steel  bar.  In  the  hollows  between 
these  spurs  are  green  patches  of  rice  set  round  by  borders  of 
underwood  and  tropical  vegetation.  The  Prince  and  the  Duke 
of  Sutherland  enjoyed  the  scenery  from  the  engine  ;  and  at 
"  Sensation  Rock  "  the  whole  party  enjoyed  that  supreme  delight 


RAILROAD   SCENERY.  23! 

— a  safe  danger — contact — all  but  actual — with  destruction, 
which  is  exceedingly  charming  to  all  who  have  nerves  fit  for  the 
peculiar  pleasure.  It  is  an  exceedingly  bold — almost  overhang- 
ing— mass  of  gneiss  or  granite,  with  that  unsteady  appearance 
which  gives  one  the  expectation  that  it  will  be  down  on  his  head 
as  he  looks  at  it ;  a  profound  valley  runs  below.  At  Pulgaha- 
walla,  and  indeed  at  all  the  Stations,  the  names  of  which  need 
not  be  enumerated,  were  crowds,  inscriptions,  arches,  to  welcome 
the  Prince.  The  houses  were  ornamented  with  green  cocoa-nut- 
fronds,  the  split  leaves  and  stems  nailed  on  bamboo-frames, 
formed  in  the  most  graceful  devices.  At  Kadugannawa  we 
reached  the  summit  of  the  Railway.  The  line  passes  by  the 
rock  which  was  bored  through  for  the  main  trunk  road  made  by 
Sir  Edward  Barnes.  When  that  was  accomplished  the  hopes  of 
the  Kandyans  perished,  for  they  saw  in  that  work  the  fulfilment 
of  the  prophecy  that  their  kingdom  should  depart  when  a  bul- 
lock could  be  driven  through  the  hill,  and  a  horseman  ride 
through  the  rock.  The  hill  was  tunnelled,  and  soon  afterwards 
the  Kandy  mail  was  driven  through  the  archway.  Since  the 
final  capture  of  Kandy  in  1815  there  have  been  several  upris- 
ings and  rebellions:  one,  the  most  formidable,  in  1817  ;  the  last 
in  1848,  which  Lord  Torrington  stamped  out  with  a  vigor  which 
nearly  brought  on  him  the  fate  incurred  by  Governor  Eyre  in 
later  years.  We  do  not  like  rebellion  at  home,  but  we  are  very 
apt  to  punish  those  who  nip  it  in  the  bud  abroad  \  they  ought 
perhaps  to  wait  and  see  if  it  is  about  to  become  serious.  In 
that  case  they  are  not  unlikely  to  incur  the  odium  and  punish- 
ment of  imbecility.  The  train  halted  at  the  summit,  and  the 
Prince  inspected  the  column  on  which  are  enumerated  the  ser- 
vices of  Captain  Dawson  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  who  "  planned 
and  executed  the  road  and  other  works  of  public  utility,  during 
the  government  of  Sir  Edward  Barnes,  K.  C.  B."  It  is  now 
forty-five  years  since  Captain  Dawson  died  at  Colombo,  and  it 
may  well  be  said  of  him  that  the  good  he  did  lives  after  him. 
From  Kadugannawa  the  train  sped  on  to  Peradeniya.  The 
Station,  which  is  but  a  few  miles  outside  Kandy,  was  decorated 


232         THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

with  originality.  In  addition  to  the  ordinary  floral  embellish- 
ments, birds,  monkeys,  minars,  white  crows  chattered,  jumped,  or 
flew  as  far  as  the  length  of  "heir  tethers  would  let  them  along  the 
platform  ;  immense  crowds  of  Kandyans — many  of  them  wore 
flowers  in  their  hair,  and  had  nosegays  in  their  hands — welcomed 
the  Prince.  It  was  after  four  o'clock  before  the  train  reached 
the  neighborhood  of  the  city.  All  we  had  heard  of  the  beauty 
of  the  situation  of  Kandy,  and  of  the  character  of  the  scenery 
was  fully  sustained. 

In  a  deep  ravine  at  one  side  of  the  plateau,  or,  more  prop- 
erly speaking,  of  the  broad  valley  surrounded  by  hills,  over- 
looking a  still  deeper  depression,  on  which  the  town  is  situated, 
the  Mahawelli  Ganga  River  thunders  in  its  rocky  bed.  The 
small  lake  by  the  side  of  which  part  of  the  city  is  built  lends  a 
charming  repose  and  freshness  to  the  scene,  which  is  mirrored 
in  its  waters.  Wherever  the  eye  is  turned  rise  mountain  tops, 
some  bare  masses  of  rock,  others  clothed  with  vegetation. 
There  is  no  idea  of  a  "  town  "  or  of  a  "  city  "  to  be  realized  in 
what  one  sees ;  it  is  all  suburb  —  verandaed  pavilions  and 
bungalows  stretching  in  lines  bearing  the  names  of  streets  ; 
here  and  there  the  native  houses  packed  more  closely  may  be 
termed  lanes  ;  but  the  whole  place  is  as  "  diffused  "  as  Balham, 
or  Clapham,  or  any  other  rural  quarter  of  the  great  Metropolis. 
Kandy  was  once  a  stronghold  of  kings,  but  it  was  not  till  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century  that  it  became  the  capital.  When 
that  dignity  was  conferred  on  the  city,  it  was  forbidden  to  the 
common  people  to  have  windows,  or  white  walls,  or  tiles  to  their 
houses,  as  these  were  luxuries  for  royal  use  alone.  Public 
buildings,  properly  so  called,  there  are  none,  but  in  lieu  of  these 
was  one  of  the  most  picturesque  crowds  ever  seen.  I  doubt  if 
ever  anything  so  unmasculine,  uncomely,  and  unbecoming  was 
ever  devised  as  the  dress  of  the  great  Chiefs.  There  are 
various  orders  of  Chiefs.  The  higher  they  are  the  more  ridicu- 
lously elaborate  is  their  attire.  The  dress  of  the  upper  ten 
thousand  is  an  enormous  stiffened  white  muslin  petticoat,  with 
gigot  sleeves,  nether  garments  puffed  out  as  if  they  were 


KANDY.  233 

strongly  fortified  by  crinoline,  the  work  of  cunning  seamstresses, 
made  with  exceeding  art.  On  their  heads  elevated  pin-cushions, 
like  tinselled  crowns,  singularly  unsuited  to  the  climate  or  to 
dignity  of  appearance.  The  few  women  visible  wore  white 
muslin  jackets  and  comboys,  and  displayed  a  considerable 
wealth  of  bangles,  necklaces,  and  rings.  The  becombed  heads 
of  the  men,  which  are  the  rule  at  Colombo,  did  not  appear  to  be 
quite  universal. 

The  number  of  Chiefs  and  of  Buddhist  priests  at  the  Station 
showed  what  importance  was  attached  to  the  Prince's  visit  by 
the  people,  and  proved  that  the  Governor  had  cultivated  their 
good  opinion  with  success.  The  popularity  he  enjoyed  was 
among  the  causes  which  collect  so  many  people  together,  for 
had  he  been  less  favored,  some  of  the  Chiefs,  at  all  events, 
would  have  stayed  away.  There  was,  of  course,  an  address 
from  the  Municipal  Council  of  Kandy  delivered  at  the  Railway 
Station,  and  deputations  from  all  the  country  for  many  miles 
around  ;  so  much  to  observe  that  the  memory  and  the  eye  were 
fairly  over-weighted.  Endless  would  be  the  task  of  describing 
miles  of  decorated  roadside,  inscription,  triumphal  arches,  fes- 
toons and  garlands,  or  the  curious  devices  from  the  Station  till 
we  reached  the  Governor's  house.  It  was  with  a  sense  of  relief 
we  found  refuge  in  the  "  Pavilion,"  the  bedrooms  of  which  open 
out  upon  the  charming  garden.  There  was,  alas  !  one  draw- 
back to  a  walk  in  the  shady  groves,  where  the  air  was  heavy, 
with  the  odor  of  unaccustomed  flowers.  A  sharp  prick  above  the 
ankle  directed  my  attention  downwards,  and  I  saw  a  small  black 
body,  not  much  thicker  than  a  pin,  which  gave  decided  signs  of 
life,  contracting  and  expanding  itself  vigorously  from  one  point, 
just  above  the  shoe.  I  caught  hold  of  the  little  black  thread  in 
my  hand,  and  pulled  it  away ;  where  it  had  been,  a  spot  of 
blood  appeared ;  in  a  second  the  leech  fastened  upon  my  finger. 
The  place  was  swarming  with  the  wretches  !  I  had  inadvertent- 
ly walked  on  the  greensward,  populous  with  these  blood-suckers. 
I  instantly  fled,  and  resolved  to  wear  shoes  no  more  in  these 
latitudes. 


234  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

The  Governor  entertained  the  Prince  and  the  notabilities  of 
Ceylon  at  a  State  dinner.  Lamps  and  lanterns  were  waving  and 
swinging  in  the  perfumed  breezes.  Rows  of  cocoa-nut-oil-lamps 
climbing  up  the  hill-sides  to  join  with  the  stars  ;  streamers  float- 
ing from  elevated  masts  ;  clang  of  music,  beating  of  native  drums, 
blowing  of  horns,  sound  of  gongs  and  mighty  cheering,  which 
rolled  away  like  thunder  along  the  hill-sides. 

Immediately  on  the  conclusion  of  the  banquet,  the  company 
were  summoned  outside.  The  Pera-hara,  now  celebrated  in 
honor  of  the  Prince,  was  out  of  its  ordinary  place  and  time. 
Instead  of  being  made  through  the  city  at  a  new  moon,  in  June 
or  July,  the  procession  was  confined  to  the  route  from  the 
Temple  to  the  garden  of  the  Pavilion.  Knox  describes  the 
ceremony  two  hundred  years  ago,  when  it  must  have  been  of  a 
grand  and  imposing  character.  In  those  days  the  Kings  of 
Kandy  were  great  indeed,  and  little  dreamt  of  the  time  when 
white  men,  from  countries  of  which  they  kept  many  inhabitants 
in  base  captivity,  would  march  upon  their  capital,  seize  upon 
the  treasures  of  their  temples,  plunder  their  tombs,  and  scatter 
their  ashes  to  the  winds.  It  is  probable  the  Kandyans  have 
traditions  concerning  these  things,  although  we  have  forgotten 
them.  In  Knox's  day  the  Chief  Priest  rode  through  the  streets 
of  the  city  upon  an  elephant,  covered  in  white,  with  all  the 
triumph  that  king  and  kingdom  could  afford.  He  was  preceded 
by  fifty  elephants  of  the  Temple  dressed  in  rich  stuffs  and 
covered  with  jingling  bells,  which  followed  drummers,  trumpeters, 
dancing  men,  of  the  wildest  and  most  fantastic  figures,  and  fifers, 
dressed  like  giants,  the  imitation  of  giant  stature  being  effected 
by  elevated  head-dresses.  "  After  the  gods  and  their  attendants," 
says  Knox,  "  thousands  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  of  the  best 
sort,  arrayed  in  the  bravest  manner  their  ability  can  afford,  go 
hand  in  hand,  three  in  a  row.  The  streets  are  made  clean. 
Pennons  and  flags  flutter  from  poles  stuck  along  the  streets, 
which  are  adorned  with  boughs  and  branches  of  cocoa-nuts,  and 
rows  of  lighted  lamps  border  the  pathways  both  night  and  day." 
The  women  of  whom  Knox  speaks  do  not  make  their  appearance 


THE    PERA-HARA. 

now.  Elephants,  with  priests  representing  the  deities,  makers  of 
heaven  and  earth,  and  inferior  heavenly  potentates  come  next. 
The  Cingalese  deny  that  the  images  of  the  gods  in  their  temples, 
which  represent  the  influence  of  the  Hindoo  conquerors  on  the  re- 
ligion of  Buddha,  are  more  than  symbols,  and  say  they  are  not 
actually  worshipped.  Last  of  all  came  the  soldiers  with  the  com- 
manders, but  in  Knox's  time  the  King  had  ceased  to  ride  in  the 
ceremony.  Sir  Emerson  Tennent  says  the  Buddhist  priesthood 
suffered  a  great  loss  of  prestige  "  since  the  loss  of  the  Royal 
presence,  in  which  it  was  their  privilege  to  bask.  Even  their 
ritual  pomp  and  ceremonials  no  longer  command  the  same 
homage  from  the  populace  ;  and  the  great  annual  procession  of 
the  Pera-hara,  with  its  torch-lights,  its  solemn  music,  and  capar- 
isoned elephants,  is  spiritless  and  unimpressive  if  contrasted 
with  occasions  in  their  memory  when  it  was  hallowed  by  the 
divine  presence  of  a  king."  The  writer  never  imagined  that  in 
the  time  so  little  distant  from  his  own,  the  heir  of  the  monarch, 
to  whom  has  descended  greater  honors  than  were  ever  enjoyed 
by  all  the  kings  of  Taprobane,  should  give  once  more  to  these 
fetes  the  prestige  of  a  royal  presence.  What  the  Prince  of 
Wales  saw  was  different  from  the  great  ceremonial.  There  was 
only  a  procession  of  elephants,  dancers,  and  priests  belonging  to 
the  temples  ;  but  it  was  exceedingly  grotesque,  novel,  and  inter- 
esting, and  it  would  tax  the  best  pen  and  pencil  to  give  an 
adequate  idea  of  such  combinations  of  forms,  sounds,  and  figures. 
The  "  devil  dancers,"  in  masks  and  painted  faces,  were  sufficiently 
hideous.  Their  contortions,  performed  to  the  tune  of  clanging 
brass,  cymbals,  loud  horns,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  sackbut,  lute, 
and  dulcimer,  presented  no  feature  of  agility  or  grace  which 
might  not  be  easily  rivalled  by  an  ordinary  dancing  troop  nearer 
home.  The  elephants,  plodding  along  in  single  file,  carried  mag- 
nificent howdahs  occupied  by  the  priests,  and  were  covered  with 
cloth  of  gold  and  silver,  and  with  plates  of  metal  which  shone  in 
the  light  of  the  torches.  The  better  bred  of  these  animals,  and 
most  of  them  indeed  were  exceedingly  polite,  salaamed,  and 
uttered  a  little  flourish  of  trnmpets  through  their  probosces,  as 


236  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

they  came  opposite  to  the  place  where  the  Prince  was  standing  ; 
some  knelt  down  and  made  obeisance  before  him  ;  but  the  pro- 
priety of  the  procession  was  somewhat  disturbed  by  the  cupidity 
of  one  which,  finding  the  Prince  had  a  small  store  of  sugar-cane 
and  bananas,  resolved  to  make  the  best  of  his  time,  and  could 
not  be  induced  to  go  on  without  difficulty.  This  Pera-hara  was 
but  a  rehearsal  of  the  ceremony  fixed  for  the  following  day. 

December  3. — There  came  in  the  night-time  a  refreshing 
shower,  so  that  all  the  glorious  mass  of  vegetation  in  the  garden 
and  grounds  outside  the  Governor's  house  was  literally  ablaze 
with  brilliant  flowers,  and  the  air  was  heavy  with  the  perfume  of 
yellow  champac  and  of  the  white  roses  of  the  ironwood-tree.  As 
to  the  coloring  and  size  of  the  rhododendrons,  Indian  magnolias, 
Gordonias,  &c.,  they  must  be  seen  to  be  believed,  and  then,  as 
Knox  says,  "  not  without  rubbing  of  the  eye."  All  the  birds- 
were  set  a-singing,  and  the  woods,  if  not  most  melancholy,  were 
at  least  most  musical  in  force  of  sound.  Indeed,  one  of  the  party 
complained  that  "  a  violent  woodpecker  "  close  to  his  window 
kept  him  awake  all  the  morning.  It  is  a  strange  country,  for 
there  are  in  it  fishes  which  walk,  climb,  and  sing ;  but  it  would 
be  wrong,  perhaps  to  say  always  that  the  birds  sing :  the  noise 
they  make  is  certainly  too  loud  to  be  melodious.  After  break- 
fast there  was  a  visit  to  the  Royal  Botanical  Gardens,  which 
should  properly,  I  think,  be  called  the  Arboretum,  situated  at 
Peradeniya,  a  distance  of  three  miles  or  so  from  the  Pavilion. 
Here  the  Prince  was  received  by  Mr.  Thwaites,  the  learned 
author  of  the  "  Enumeratio  Plantarum,"  &c,  Fellow  of  the  Royal 
Society,  who  did  the  honors  of  the  place  wfth  charming  vivacity 
and  scrupulous  care,  allowing  no  object  of  the  many  extraor- 
dinary and  beautiful  specimens  of  tropical  vegetation  to  escape 
unnoticed. 

I  have  never  seen  in  any  part  of  the  world  such  an  ex- 
traordinary exuberance  and  variety  of  growth.  In  addition  to 
every  tree  and  plant  properly  belonging  to  Ceylon,  there  are 
numbers  of  exotics,  which  have  been  imported,  and  which  grow 
freely  in  the  open  air.  Mr.  Mudd,  the  botanist  attached  to  the 


THE  BOTANICAL  GARDENS.  237 

Prince's  establishment,  went  about  in  a  subdued  ecstasy,  knife 
and  book  in  hand,  attended  by  a  native  gardener  speaking  Eng- 
lish, who  seemed  an  excellent  botanist.  We  entered  through  a 
magnificent  avenue  of  the  india-rubber-tree  (Ficus  elastica),  and 
drove  along  sweeping  avenues  by  the  borders  of  the  river,  through 
a  park-like  expanse,  which  was  one  marvellous  exhibition  of  the 
glories  of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  Orchids  in  every  variety  ; 
palms  of  stupendous  size,  thickness,  and  height ;  talipots,  pal- 
myras, date-palms,  gigantic  clumps  of  reeds,  the  coco  demar,  the 
traveller's  tree,  almost  shut  out  the  light  in  places,  or  were  scat- 
tered over  the  green  meadow  in  detached  blocks,  or  concentrated 
into  central  masses,  over  which  whirled  thick  clouds  of  flying 
foxes.  Perhaps  the  most  interesting  and  astonishing  objects, 
where  all  was  so  new,  were  the  jungle-rop  e  creepers,  and  elephant- 
creepers  of  the  Bauhinia  class,  which  seem  to  seize  the  trees  in 
giant  folds,  as  if  intent  on  their  destruction,  an  object  in  which, 
it  is  said,  indeed,  these  tremendous  vegetable  reptiles  too  often 
succeed.  In  the  gardens  nearly  all  the  products  which  are  val- 
uable for  commerce  have  been  introduced — cloves,  nutmegs, 
vanilla,  tea,  chocolate,  arrowroot,  tapioca,  ginger,  mangoes,  lich- 
ens, and  every  fruit  known  to  the  East.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  very 
noble  institution,  and  a  great  glory  to  the  island,  to  those  who 
planned  it,  and  to  its  present  amiable,  excellent,  and  learned  direc- 
tor. The  flying  foxes  come  here  at  certain  times  of  the  year  in 
enormous  multitudes,  migrating  from  spot  to  spot  as  they  devas- 
tate each  district.  Some  we  saw  hanging,  as  you  see  them  in 
the  Zoological  Gardens,  with  their  heads  covered  snugly  up  in 
the  membrane  of  the  wing,  and  the  body  hanging  by  one  hind 
leg  from  the  branch,  like  strange  fruit.  Mr.  Thwaites  said  that 
these  foxes  caused  immense  damage,  and  that  the  gardens  need- 
ed perpetual  cleaning.^  On  the  Prince  expressing  a  desire  to 
procure  a  specimen,  a  gun  was  sent  for,  which  probably  exposed 
the  Prince  to  more  danger  than  many  things  in  his  travels  which 
were  regarded  with  greater  suspicion.  Up  went  the  gun,  and 
down  came  a  flying  fox.  The  Pteropus  Edwardsiivi?&  about  four 
feet  from  one  wing  tip  to  the  other,  and  was  covered  with  thick 


238 

red  hair,  the  skin  on  the  face  black  and  naked,  and  teeth  ex- 
ceedingly sharp.  It  is  said  they  are  not  bad  eating,  something 
like  hare  ;  but  it  would  be  excessive  hunger  indeed  which  could 
induce  me  to  test  the  fact.  When  the  Prince  fired,  the  creatures 
showed  they  possessed  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  by  retir- 
ing to  greater  distances  and  higher  altitudes,  but  several  more 
were  bagged,  not  without  a  considerable  expenditure  of  powder 
and  shot  on  the  part  of  the  extraordinary  fowling-piece. 

At  Mr.  Thwaites*  house,  a  pleasant  Swiss-like  chalet,  the 
Prince  was  shown  specimens  of  tea,  of  cardamums  and  other 
spices,  cinchona,  live  scorpions,  and  the  curious  nests  of  the 
white  ant,  of  which  there  were  great  numbers  in  the  garden. 
We  were  warned  that  if  we  made  excursions  into  the  jungly 
ground  near  the  river,  there  were  venomous  spiders,  ferocious 
ants,  ticks,  centipedes,  to  be  avoided.  Nor  were  we  made  more 
inclined  for  a  walk  on  being  informed  that  the  Tic polonga  (Da- 
boia  elegans),  a  deadly  snake,  the  terror  of  the  natives,  was  to  be 
met  with.  The  European  servants  walked  about  cautiously.  As 
one  of  them  said,  "  It's  not  tigers  and  lions  that  I  am  afraid  of ! 
It's  the  serpents  !  "  Before  leaving,  the  Prince  planted  a  small 
shoot  of  a  Peepul — the  Bo-tree,  or  Ficus  religiosa — to  commemo- 
rate his  visit. 

Any  desire  for  independent  excursions  had  been  extinguished 
by  the  information  that  Tic  polonga  might  be  encountered  in  the 
long  grass  ;  but  that  the  leech  most  certainly  would  come  to  us, 
whether  we  went  or  not,  we  were  very  soon  certain,  as  various 
outcries  testified.  "  Will  you  take  this  off  my  neck,  if  you  please  ? " 
"  Hang  it !  there's  one  on  the  calf  of  my  leg ! "  They  came 
wriggling  and  jumping  along  the  grass.  They  must  smell  one's 
blood.  If  you  stood  on  the  gravel-walk  for  a  few  moments  you- 
could  see  them  making  their  way  from  all  parts  of  the  surround- 
ing country  towards  you  as  a  common  centre  of  interest.  Most 
horrible  of  all  their  properties,  they  can  stand  erect  on  their  tails 
and  look  out  for  what  is  coming. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  banquet  at  the  Pavilion,  and  then 
the  ceremony  of  bestowing  the  insignia  of  the  K.  M.  G.  on  the 


THE   ORDER   OF   KNIGHTHOOD.  239 

Governor,  and  of  the  C.  M0  G»  on  the  Colonial  Secretary,  and  on 
Mr,  DouglaSp  in  the  Audience  Hall  of  the  Kings  of  Kandy,  used 
at  present  as  a  district  Court  House.  It  is  a  long  low  room,  the 
richly  chiselled  wooden  roof  upheld  by  a  double  line  of  elabo- 
rately carved  columns  of  teak  with  bracketed  capitals  :  the  ex- 
terior rooms  and  corridors  are  narrow  and  dark.  On  the  walls 
and  columns  are  carved  flights  of  geese — or,  to  speak  with  ac- 
curacy— "  the  Sacred  Goose  "  of  Buddha  passant  is  multiplied 
many  tfmes.  In  this  Hall  the  Kings  held  Court  at  night  in  a 
dimly  lighted  recess,  to  which  ministers  and  courtiers  went  crawl- 
ing on  their  stomachs.  It  was  now  thronged  by  Kandyan  Chiefs, 
Mudaliyars,  European  colonists,  officials,  and  the  jewelled  wives 
of  the  Kandyan  nobility,  in  snow-white  dresses,  drawn  up  on  the 
right-hand  side  below  the  dais,  on  which  the  Prince's  chair  of 
State  of  crimson  velvet  and  the  less  splendid  seat  for  Mr.  Greg- 
ory were  placed.  The  Chiefs  were  presented  by  the  Governor. 
Round  the  neck  of  Dewe  Nilime',  one  of  the  most  eminent,  the 
Prince  placed  a  blue  riband  with  the  Indian  gold  medal.  They 
were  introduced  in  columns  of  five,  according  to  their  rank,  and 
presently  they  came  back  in  procession  to  offer  the  Prince  a 
handsome  silver  casket.  Whilst  the  presentations  were  going 
on,  the  thunder  roared  and  the  lightning  flashed,  and  the  rain 
fell  with  tropical  violence  outside.  Mr.  Gregory  appeared  at  the 
head  of  a  small  procession — consisting  of  the  members  of  his 
suite,  Colonial  Secretary,  Auditor-General — and  advanced  to  the 
dais,  at  the  base  of  which  he  bowed  to  the  Prince.  All  the  com- 
pany stood  up.  His  Royal  Highness  announced  that  he  had  her 
Majesty's  commands  to  confer  on  her  trusty  councillor,  the  Right 
Hon.  W.  H.  Gregory,  the  dignity  of  Knight  Commander  of  the 
most  illustrious  Order  of  St.  Michael  and  St.  George,  and  added 
that  he  had  great  pleasure  on  personal  grounds  in  doing  so.  Then 
the  patents,  &c,  rather  tedious  documents,  in  which  there  were 
something  like  injunctions  against  larceny,  were  read.  The 
Governor  knelt ;  the  Prince  gave  the  accolade  with  the  words, 
"  Rise,  Sir  William  Gregory."  The  Knight  rose  and  expressed 
his  feelings  in  a  neat  speech,  amid  tremendous  cheers,  which 


240  THE   PRINCE  OF  WALES*   TOUR. 

woke  up  every  echo  in  the  old  Hall,  and  challenged  the  mutter- 
ing thunder.  Mr.  Douglas  and  Mr.  Birch  were  next  invested 
with  the  C.M.G.,  amidst  expressions  of  general  satisfaction. 
The  Prince  left  the  dais,  and  the  wives  of  the  Kandyan  Chiefs 
who  were  as  dignified  and  stately  as  so  many  Mistresses  of  the 
Robes,  were  introduced' to  him.  Out  of  the  Audience  Hall  he 
passed  through  narrow  passages  and  serried  ranks  of  Buddhist 
priests,  mounting  the  steps  to  the  Temple,  to  see  the  Sacred 
Tooth  of  Gotama  Buddha. 

The  Holy  object  abides  in  a  Wihara,  or  sacred  chamber,  in 
a  tower  adjoining  the  Malagawa  Temple.  The  European  style 
of  the  architecture  of  the  tower  causes  it  to  stand  out  distinctly 
from  the  neighboring  buildings,  and  is  ascribed  to  Portuguese 
captives,  employed  in  its  construction  by  the  Kandyan  King, 
Wimala  Ilkanna,  270  years  ago.  The  "  Dalada,"  as  it  is  called, 
is  a  piece  of  bone  or,  as  some  say,  ivory,  with  a  suture  up  the 
side,  nearly  two  inches  long  and  one  inch  round,  of  irregular 
cylindrical  shape,  tapering  towards  the  end,  which  is  rounded. 
If  the  article  was  ever  in  Buddha's  mouth,  and  if  he  had  a  com- 
plete set  to  match,  he  must  have  possessed  a  wonderful  jaw,  and 
a  remarkable  stomach,  for  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  tooth  is  not 
a  human  molar  or  incisor.  It  is,  however,  as  least  as  real  as  was 
the  Palladium,  or  as  are  many  relics  nearer  home.  It  has  been 
suggested  that  it  was  modelled  after  the  canine  teeth  which  are 
seen  in  some  images  of  Vishnu  and  Kali,  but  it  by  no  means 
resembles  a  true  canine.  The  story  of  the  tooth  has  been  told 
many  times.  When  Gotama  Buddha's  body  was  burned  at 
Kusinara,  2419  years  ago,  his  left  canine  tooth  was  carried  to 
Duntapura,  the  capital  of  Kalinga,  where  it  reposed  for  500 
years,  till  the  King  sent  it  to  Ceylon.  There  the  Dalada,  called 
Dahta  Dhatu,  lay  till  the  early  part  of  the  twelfth  century,  when 
a  Tamil  Prince  of  Madura,  who  invaded  the  island,  carried  it 
off  to  India,  where  the  Sacred  Tooth  remained  till  the  King  of 
Kandy,  as  the  gratifying  result  of  a  personal  crusade  and  expe- 
dition for  the  purpose,  obtained  possession  of  it.  But  the  Dalada's 
peaceful  days  were  over.  Less  happy  than  its  former  owner,  now 


THE   DOUBLE    IMPOSTURE.  24! 

absorbed  in  eternal  rest,  the  tooth  was  the  object  of  constant 
inquisition,  and  it  was  carried  about  from  one  hiding-place  to 
another  during  the  constant  wars  which  distracted  the  island. 
Sir  Emerson  Tennent  has  given  a  full  account,  translated  from 
the  Portuguese  of  Diego  de  Couto,  of  the  capture  of  the  Dalada 
by  Don  Constantine  of  Braganza  at  Jaffna  in  1560.  Diego  calls 
it  the  tooth  of  an  ape,  which  it  certainly  is  not,  and  gives  the 
details  of  its  destruction  by  the  archbishop  at  Goa,  in  presence  of 
the  Viceroy  and  his  officers,  and  of  the  prelates,  inquisitors, 
vicars-general,  and  pious  Jesuits,  in  April,  1561.  It  was  these 
good  people  who  counselled  the  needy  hidalgos,  captains,  and 
other  temporal  persons,  to  reject  the  400,000  cruzadoes  offered 
by  the  envoys  of  the  King  of  Pegu  for  its  possession.  The 
archbishop  having  received  the  relic  from  the  treasurer,  "  placed 
it  in  a  mortar,  and  with  his  own  hand  reducing  it  to  powder 
before  them  all,  cast  the  pieces  into  a  brazier,  which  stood  ready 
for  the  purpose  ;  after  which  the  ashes  and  the  charcoal  together 
were  cast  into  the  river  in  the  sight  of  all  those  crowding  to  the 
verandas  and  windows  which  looked  upon  the  water."  Many, 
we  are  told,  protested  against  the  measure,  on  the  ground  that 
there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the  Buddhists  from  making  another 
tooth,  and  that  the  money  would  have  repaired  the  pressing 
necessities  of  the  State.  They  were  quite  right.  The  Buddhists 
were  not  to  be  beaten.  The  Dalada  which  they  exhibit  to-day 
is,  they  say,  "  the  real  and  only  one  ;  "—that  which  Don  Constan- 
tine took  at  Jaffna  was  a  sham  made  ad  hoc.  When  the  King 
of  Pegu,  three  years  after  the  tooth  had  been  reduced  to  powder, 
sent  to  the  King  of  Kandy  to  ask  his  daughter  in  marriage,  the 
crafty  chamberlain  of  the  latter,  who  pretended  to  be  a  Christian, 
but  who  was  a  Buddhist  at  heart,  told  the  ambassadors  that  he 
had  hidden  the  real  tooth,  and  took  them  to  see  a  fac-simile, 
which  he  had  constructed  out  of  stag's  horn,  in  his  house.  He 
was  prevailed  upon,  for  a  consideration,  to  yield  this  tooth  up  to 
the  King  of  Pegu,  who  was  in  great  delight  with  his  treasure  for 
some  time,  till  he  was  told  that  the  lady  he  had  married  as  the 
daughter  of  a  king  was  as  great  a  sham  as  the  tooth  which 
**  16 


242  THE  PRINCE   OF  WALES'   TOUR. 

had  been  sent  to  him.  But  even  then  he  preferred  keeping 
both  the  impostures  to  admitting  that  he  had  been  deceived,  and 
he  informed  the  King  of  Kandy,  who  maintained  that  he  was  the 
possessor  of  the  only  genuine  relic,  that  he  was  quite  content 
with  what  he  had.  The  King  of  Kandy  doubtless  caused  the 
present  article  to  be  made  at  the  time.  The  Wihara,  or  small 
shrine,  in  which  the  Dalada  is  kept,  is  approached  from  the 
Temple  by  a  narrow  door  and  staircase ;  the  apartment  itself, 
which  is  hung  with  curtains  embroidered  with  curious  devices, 
was  redolent  of  sickening  perfume,  which  combined  with  the  heat 
of  the  lamps  held  by  the  priests  to  make  the  atmosphere  almost 
Stirling.  The  Carandua,  a  bell-shaped  golden  casket  enclosing 
the  tooth,  stands  on  a  silver  table.  The  case  glitters  with  emer- 
alds, diamonds,  pearls  of  great  price,  and  bears  a  large  stone  on 
the  cusp  at  its  summit,  which  is,  we  are  told,  of  enormous  value. 
It  is  hung  round  with  chains,  of  which  the  links  are  diamonds, 
emeralds,  rubies,  and  pearls,  apparently  of  very  great  worth — is 
elaborately  chased  and  worked  in  an  intricate  pattern  of  which 
a  photograph  alone  can  give  an  idea.  At  one  side  of  the  table 
surrounded  by  as  many  as  could  crowd  in  after  him,  the  Prince 
took  his  place.  One  priest  produced  a  bundle  of  keys,  which 
was  taken,  not  without  trouble  and  delay,  out  of  some  secret 
receptacle,  and  then  proceeded  to  unshrine  the  relic.  Even 
when  the  keys  were  brought,  it  would  seem  as  if  those  who  were 
the  guardians  of  the  shrine  were  not  very  familiar  with  its  intric- 
acies. It  was  not  at  the  first  or  the  second  trial  that  they  found 
the  right  key  ;  but  at  last  a  sliding  spring  was  touched,  and  the 
outer  case  opening,  revealed  inside  another  of  gold,  also  jewelled. 
This  in  its  turn  was  opened.  Again  came  in  view  a  casket  like 
unto  its  fellow,  and  so  on  the  operation  was  repeated,  I  think, 
for  five  times,  until  at  last, 

"  Fold  after  fold  to  the  fainting  air, 
The  soul  of  its  beauty  and  love  lay  bare —  " 

Buddha's  tooth,  just  as  I  have  tried  to  describe  it,  reposing  on  a 
golden  lotus  leaf!     No  hand  might  touch  this  holy  of  holies. 


BUDDHIST    PRIESTS.  243 

There  was  an  expression  of  awe  on  the  faces  of  the  priests, 
which  could  not  have  been  feigned  ;  the  eldest,  a  venerable  man 
in  spectacles,  who  quivered  with  emotion,  taking  up  the  gold 
lotus  leaf  in  one  hand  was  supplied  by  another  of  the  priests 
with  a  small  piece  of  cambric,  or  of  some  white  textile  stuff. 
Placing  this  carefully  between  his  fingers,  and  not  allowing  his 
hand  to  come  in  contact  even  with  the  golden  lotus,  he  took  up 
the  tooth  and  held  it  for  the  Prince's  gaze.  There  was,  of 
course,  not  much  to  see  in  the  tooth,  and,  without  faith,  nothing 
to  admire  ;  and  so  the  Prince,  having  duly  looked  at  it,  departed, 
and  was  followed  with  pleasure  by  all  whose  duty  it  was  not  to 
remain  inside.  But  it  was  very  curious  to  think  that  so  many 
millions  of  people,  some  of  them  no  doubt  wise  and  good,  spread 
all  over  the  East,  constituting  the  population  of  great  empires, 
not  destitute  of  culture,  should  hold  such  an  object  in  veneration. 
The  shrines  in  which  it  is  encased  have  been  made  by  various 
Kings  of  Kandy,  and  some  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  most 
recent,  the  exterior,  dates  from  the  year  1464,  and  that  the  inside 
case  was  made  two  hundred  years  before  that  date. 

Had  it  not  rained  as  it  did,  in  downright  sheets  of  water, 
there  would,  no  doubt,  have  been  a  very  pretty  sight,  and  char- 
acteristic, from  the  Octagon,  where  the  Prince  now  stationed  him- 
self in  full  sight  of  the  people.  They  faced  the  rain,  for  all  their 
scanty  raiment,  with  patience  for  hours ;  and  when  the  few 
fireworks  which  could  burst  out  into  life  threw  a  glare  on  the 
multitude,  the  partially  undraped  figures  glistened  in  the  wet 
like  statues  of  polished  bronze.  The  Pera-hara,  devil-dancers 
and  all,  passed  beneath  the  Octagon  ;  but  the  downpour  washed 
all  the  animation  out  of  .them,  put  out  the  lights,  soddened  the 
drums,  choked  the  musical  instruments,  and  spoilt  everything  but 
the  good  temper  and  patience  of  the  crowd.  Before  retreating  to 
the  Pavilion,  a  deputation  of  Buddhist  priests,  bearing  a  very 
valuable  set  of  the  holy  books  for  the  Prince's  acceptance  was 
introduced.  They  also  exhibited,  as  they  asserted,  the  "most 
ancient  Buddhist  MSS.  in  the  world,"  and  one  of  the  younger 
priests  proceeded  to  chant  in  minors,  ending  in  a  prolonged  high 


244  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

note,  from  one  of  the  books,  in  a  manner  not  unmusical,  remind- 
ing us  somewhat  of  the  intonation  of  the  Russian  ritual.  The 
reverential  air  and  deep  attention  of  the  Buddhists  who  sat  round 
the  reader  were  very  striking ;  one  especially,  who,  with  moistened 
eyes,  raised  his  hand  gently,  from  time  to  time,  to  emphasize  a 
passage,  looked  at  the  Prince  as  if  he  expected  a  miraculous 
conversion.  The  seance  ended,  the  Royal  party  made  the  best 
of  their  way  to  the  Pavilion.  Thousands  of  people  were  unable 
to  find  shelter,  and  slept  wherever  they  could.  Every  house  was 
full,  and  the  verandas  and  doorsteps  were  crowded.  The  rail- 
way carriages  and  stations  were  filled  by  people. 

December  4.  —  At  7.30  A.  M.  the  Prince,  accompanied  by 
Sir  W.  Gregory,  Mr.  Birch,  and  some  of  his  suite,  escorted  by 
the  Governor's  Body  Guard,  drove  to  the  Railway  Station,  where 
Major-General  Street,  C.  B.,  and  his  Staff,  and  a  guard  of  honor, 
band  and  colors  of  H.  M.'s  57th,  under  Captain  Collins,  were  on 
duty.  Colonel  Williams,  Colonel  Ellis,  Canon  Duckworth,  and 
Mr.  Knollys  remained  at  the  Pavilion.  The  special  train,  pre- 
ceded by  a  pilot-engine,  ran  smoothly  through  one  of  the  most 
lovely  countries  in  the  world,  all  fresh  and  shining  from  the 
morning's  torrents,  which  had,  however,  flooded  the  fields  in 
many  places,  and  caused  land-slips  on  the  hill-sides,  over  the 
new  line  ta  Gampola.  There  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  Lord  A. 
Paget,  Captain  Glyn,  and  Commander  Durrant  bade  farewell  to 
the  Prince  for  the  time,  and  went  to  the  Governor's  Lodge  at 
Newera  Ellia  (the  Royal  City  of  Light),  "  the  Elysium  of  Ceylon," 
over  the  Rambodda  Pass,  where  there  is  a  sanitary  station,  at  an 
elevation  of  6000  ft.  above  the  sea-level.  They  enjoyed  some 
sport ;  but  the  rain  which  fell  on  us  was  especially  just  to  them. 
At  Gampola,  as  at  every  station,  there  were  crowds  of  planters- 
and  Cingalese,  and  the  usual  decorations.  At  Nawala-pittya, 
where  our  railway  journey  came  to  an  end,  a  fine  pandal  was 
erected,  although  the  Prince  was  only  to  stay  there  till  the  car- 
riages were  ready.  Horses  are  rare  in  Ceylon,  and  transport  is 
carried  on  in  bullock  hackeries  ;  but  the  Governor  had  collected 
a  sufficient  number  of  vehicles  and  horses  to  carry  the  party  on 


ALONG  THE   ROAD. 

to  Ruanwella,  a  secluded  spot,  forty-one  miles  from  Colombo.  It 
was  reported  that  two  herds  of  elephants  were  in  the  forest,  and 
the  local  sportsmen  were  employed  in  watching  them.  The 
planters  and  ladies  of  the  district  gave  the  Royal  traveller  a  most 
hearty  welcome  ;  nor  were  the  Cingalese,  among  whom  were 
Chiefs,  Mudaliyars,  priests,  and  peasants,  less  enthusiastic.  Soon 
after  we  left  the  Station  of  Nawala-pittya,  the  clouds,  which  had 
never  ceased  to  hang  on  the  mountain-tops,  gradually  crept 
down,  and  the  rain  descended  once  more,  at  first  gently,  and 
then  in  torrents.  It  was  very  disappointing  ;  for  such  glimpses 
as  we  had  of  the  scenery  were  enchanting — banyans,  ironwood- 
trees  (Mesua  f erred)  euphorbias,  satinwood-trees,  oaks,  acacias, 
rhododendrons,  magnolias,  asoca,  champac,  wonderful  creepers — 
some  thick  as  a  mist,  and  others  like  whipcord — convolvuli, 
orchids,  &c.,  sheeting  hillside  and  valley  with  an  infinity  of 
flowers  and  color,  challenged  our  admiration,  and  caused  a  sen- 
timental sorrow  at  the  aspect  of  the  horrible  utilitarian  coffee- 
clearings,  where  the  prostrate  trunks  of  trees  lay  black  and 
hideous  on  the  dull  red  soil.  Constant  exclamations  of  delight — 
"  Look  there  !  How  lovely !  Do  just  turn  your  head  to  see  the 
waterfall !  "  There  was  an  excellent  road  which  appeared  little 
frequented,  and  no  Europeans  were  met  from  the  time  we  left 
the  railway.  Heavier  and  heavier  fell  the  rain,  and  gaod  as  that 
road  was,  it  was  so  hard  on  the  horses,  that  before  we  reached 
the  Rest  House  at  Kalugala,  where  the  Prince  was  to  breakfast, 
it  was  necessary  to  get  out  of  the  carriages  and  walk.  We  over- 
took some  of  the  servants  who  had  been  sent  on  the  day  before, 
and  found  the  Prince's  gun-cases,  &c.,  lying  on  the  path.  The 
coolies  had  refused  to  go  further,  and  when  coercion  was  resorted 
to,  had  simply  and  masterfully  retired  into  the  woods,  and  left 
the  Europeans  to  their  devices.  The  Governor  was  almost  in 
despair ;  but,  aided  by  Mr.  Layard  and  his  staff,  made  disposi- 
tions which  enabled  the  servants  to  proceed. 

There  was  a  long  halt  at  Kitulgala,  where  the  rest-house 
occupied  by  the  Prince  commanded  exquisite  views  of  the  river 
and  secluded  valley.  The  journey  was  resumed  after  breakfast, 


246 

the  rain  coming  down  more  violently  than  ever.     Ruanwella,  46 
miles  from  Kandy,  was  reached  at  4.30  p.  M.,  long  before  the 
baggage  arrived.     Every  one  was  wet,  more  or  less.     The  coolies 
came  dropping  in  slowly  towards  nightfall  with  various  articles, 
which  were  anxiously  expected,  and  as  the  stragglers  came  in 
sight,  the  excitement  of  owners  waiting  for  guns,  dressing-bags, 
and  changes  of  raiment  was  intense.     Of  course,  things  which 
were  not  wanted  came  in  first.     The  Prince,  the  Governor,  and 
one  or  two  members  of  the  suite  were  lodged  in  an  old  Dutch 
house,  the  only  one  in  the  place.     The  others  were  quartered   in 
huts  close  at  hand.     The  temporary  residences  erected  on  such 
occasions  as  these  are  graceful  to  look  at,  and  not  uncomfortable 
to  live  in.     The  house,  if  so  it  may  be  called,  in  which  we  slept 
was  formed  of  bamboos  driven  into  the  ground,  with  a  sloping 
roof,  made  of  lighter  slips  of  the  same  material,  on  which  palm 
leaves  were  fastened.     The  edifice  consists  of  a  central  hall,  with 
four  rooms  of  about  10  feet  by  6,  constructed  of  calico  and  bam- 
boo frames,  provided  with  windows  and  little  doorways  opening 
into  the  central  hall,  all  finished  as  though  we  were  going  to 
remain  there  for  a  month  at  least:    there  is  a  veranda,  about 
five  feet  broad,  between  the  outer  wall  of  the  house,  to  which 
the  overhanging  roof  descends.     Ten  bamboo  pillars  sustained 
the  veranda  in  front,  on  which  hung,  by  way  of  ornament,  cocoa- 
nuts,  and  their  flowers,  festoons  and  garlands.     At  dinner,  which 
was  served  in  an  open  hall  made  of  bamboos  thatched  with 
leaves,  there  was  much  talk  of  elephants  and  sporting.     It  was 
reported  that  some  planters  had  camped  close  to  the  forest  where 
elephants  were  concealed,  and  it  was  feared  they  might  start  the 
herd.     This,  considering  who  was  going  to  shoot,  was  de  mauvais 
gotit,  and  that  they  could  hunt  when  they  pleased  ;  but  it  is  prob- 
able  they  erred  from  ignorance.     Mr.  Varian  and  Mr.  Fisher, 
two  young  gentlemen  of  the  Forest  Department  experienced  in 
elephant   hunting,    Mr.    Campbell,    Mr.    Hudson,    and   others, 
attached  to  the  police    under  Major  Tranchell,  joined  to  assist 
the  expedition.     The  party  retired  early  to  rest,  and,  as  a  pre 
cautionary  measure,  Dr.  Fayrer  served  out  quinine  all  round. 


A   CURIOUS    "BAG.  247 

December  5.  —  The  rest  of  the  baggage  arrived  safe,  but 
not  sound,  during  the  night.  Still  the  rain  continued.  The 
weather  was  what  one  might  call  muggy  ;  and  though  the  palm- 
leaf  roofs  had  kept  out  the  rain  completely,  the  interiors  of  the 
huts  were  damp  and  steaming.  Wonderful  birds — paroquets 
kingcrows,  pigeons,  barbets,  &c. — fluttered  from  branch  to  branch 
6f  the  trees  around  our  temporary  encampment.  It  was  yet 
very  early  in  the  morning  when  Mr.  Birch  sounded  the  turn- 
out to  a  breakfast  of  tea  and  coffee,  toast  and  fruit.  The 
Prince,  accompanied  by  Lord  Suffield,  Lord  Charles  Beresford, 
and  one  or  two  others,  went  out  down  by  the  river  to  procure 
some  specimens  for  Mr.  Bartlett  to  stuff.  The  bag  consisted 
of  various  kingfishers,  woodpeckers  (Brachypterni),  a  snake  or 
two,  snipe,  and  a  Kabrogaya  lizard  (Hydrosaurus  salvator),  5 
feet  7  inches  in  length,  killed  by  Lord  Carington,  which  was 
found  to  be  filled  with  small  crabs.  Apropos  of  snakes,  Dr. 
Fayrer  and  Mr.  Campbell,  an  active  officer  of  the  police  force 
of  the  island,  had  an  animated  discussion.  The  latter  gentle- 
men is  a  firm  believer  in  the  efficacy  of  ammonia  as  a  specific 
for  snake-poison,  and  declared  that  he  had  cured  many  cases  by 
the  use  of  it.  This  Dr.  Fayrer  declared  to  be  impossible  ;  and 
when  Mr.  Campbell  asserted  that  he  had  cured  men  who  were 
bitten  by  snakes,  Dr.  Fayrer  replied  that  the  snakes  were  not 
poisonous,  and  that  if  they  had  been  so,  ammonia  could  not  have 
saved  the  patients.  I  did  not  like  to  suggest  to  Mr.  Campbell 
that  he  should  allow  himself  to  be  bitten  by  an  undoubtedly 
poisonous  snake,  for  so  firm  did  he  seem  in  his  belief,  that  I 
believe  he  would  have  tried  it,  and  I  was  confident  enough  in 
the  soundness  of  Dr.  Fayrer's  knowledge  to  think  that  Mr. 
Campbell  would  have  fallen  a  victim  to  his  zeal.  In  the  after- 
noon there  was  another  shooting  excursion  in  the  jungle  close 
at  hand.  It  was  said  that  there  were  deer  and  other/mz  natures 
in  it  in  abundance.  The  beaters  went  in  to  drive  for  them,  and 
as  Lord  Suffield  was  standing  on  the  edge  of  a  swampy  patch, 
amidst  tall  grass,  in  a  very  thick  part  of  the  wood,  he  was  put 
on  the  alert  by  the  rush  of  some  animal  close  to  him,  which 


24$  THE   PRINCE   OF  WALES*   TOUR. 

afi 'rued  a  glimpse  of  a  glistening  brown  hide.  He  fired,  and 
down  went  the  beast.  It  was  a  fine  buffalo  ;  but  there  is  some 
suspicion  that  it  was  not  altogether  in  a  state  of  nature.  Two 
pengolins,  or  scaly  ant-eaters,  were  captured  by  the  natives  for 
Mr.  Layard,  who  is  a  great  naturalist.  In  the  evening  a  thunder- 
storm burst  over  the  camp,  and  the  rain  once  more  came  down 
in  torrents.  A  flash  of  lightning  came  so  near  Macdonalcl,  the 
Prince's  chief  jager,  that  he  fell  to  the  ground,  and  Dr.  Fayrer 
experienced  a  numbing  sensation  from  a  bolt  which  seemed  to 
fall  close  to  our  dwelling. 

As  I  did  not  feel  very  well,  and  had  a  good  deal  to  do,  I 
sent  my  servant  over  to  the  mess-hut  for  my  dinner.  The  poor 
wretch  returned  with  the  exclamation,  "  Look,  Sahib  !  Plenty 
leech  about !  "  I  looked  and  saw  he  had  actual  "  anklets  "  of 
leeches.  They  hung  by  scores  on  his  legs,  and  gave  him  the 
appearance  of  having  jet  ornaments  on  his  nether  extremities. 

December  6. — Rat,  tat,  tat,  beat  the  rain  all  night  on  the  leafy 
roof  of  our  dwelling.  When  the  dawn  woke  up  the  noisy  birds 
in  the  trees  around  the  encampment,  the  air  was  so  "  thick  "  that 
the  light  could  scarcely  pierce  the  fleece  of  white  vapor  which  rose 
from  the  reeking  earth,  but  "  as  the  sun  ascended  the  weather 
mended."  The  day,  however,  never  became  what  is  called 
"sunny,"  but  it  was  steaming  hot,  and  every  one  of  the  party  lived 
and  moved  and  had  his  being  in  a  portable  warm-bath  of  his  own, 
which  may  be  "  nothing  when  one  is  used  to  it,"  but  which  is 
very  trying  before  that  feat  is  accomplished.  The  limp,  worn- 
out  natives  had  an  air  as  if  they  had  been  swimming  for  their 
lives  all  night  and  had  just  scrambled  upon  the  bank,  and  were 
not  to  the  front  with  their  usual  alacrity.  It  was  six  o'clock. 
Out  of  my  calico  window  I  could  see  the  police-sentries  pacing 
up  and  down  in  the  mud  before  the  Prince's  bungalow  ;  and  in 
the  open  shed  outside  the  sportsmen  were  beginning  breakfast, 
attired  in  their  shooting-dresses.  Looking  out  of  my  calico 
door,  I  saw  Mr.  Birch  looking  out  of  his  upon  our  common  table, 
whereon  were  laid  bananas,  oranges,  bread  and  coffee  ;  and  after 
the  customary  morning  salutations,  and  a  hasty  meal,  Mr.  Birch 


LEECH   GAITERS.  249 

whipped  up  his  young  friends,  and  told  them  off  to  their  different 
carriages.  The  Governor  went  back  to  Hanwele,  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  return  to  Colombo.  His  Royal  Highness 
soon  afterwards  appeared  in  a  broad-brimmed  solar  topee,  sober- 
hued  jacket  and  knickerbockers,  and  "  leech  gaiters."  These 
necessary  additions  to  one's  toilet  are  stocking-shaped  bags  of 
linen,  which  are  pulled  over  the  feet  and  fastened  at  the  knee 
before  the  shoes  are  put  on.  They  are  supposed  to  baffle  the 
efforts  of  the  denizens  of  Ceylon  forests  to  suck  the  traveller's 
blood.  The  jungle  in  which  the  elephants  were  abiding  was 
about  seven  and  a  half  miles  south  from  Ruanwella,  and  horses 
had  been  sent  on  to  await  the  Prince  on  the  roadside,  to  take 
him  on  by  a  path  cut  through  the  forest  to  the  KraaL  Lord 
Aylesford,  Dr.  Fayrer,  Mr.  S.  Hall,  Mr.  Varian,  Lord  C.  Beres- 
ford,  and  Mr.  Fisher  went  ahead  in  a  mail-coach,  which  had 
been  relieved  from  its  ordinary  duty.  The  Prince,  attended  by 
Lord  Suffield  and  General  Probyn,  followed  in  a  carriage, 
escorted  by  lancers  of  the  Governor's  Body  Guard  ;  and  a  third 
carriage,  in  which  were  Mr.  Birch,  Mr.  FitzGeorge,  Mr.  Thack- 
well,  aide-de-camp,  and  myself,  closed  the  rear  of  the  little 
cortege.  We  drove  through  a  wooded  country,  in  which  the  view 
was  shut  by  walls  of  dense  forest,  to  the  main  road  ;  and  at  8 
A.  M.  we  saw  a  considerable  crowd  in  advance  on  high  ground, 
on  which  there  is  a  village  called,  I  believe,  Algeda.  "  Where 
is  the  Prince  ? "  exclaimed  Mr.  Birch.  "  He  has  gone  on,"  was 
the  reply.  "  Where  ? "  "  We  don't  know  !  "  Here  was  a  situa- 
tion !  The  Prince's  carriage  had  passed  the  place  where  it  ought 
to  have  stopped.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  The  horses  in  waiting 
had  not  been  observed  by  any  of  the  Prince's  party,  and  those 
who  saw  his  carriage  supposed  the  coachman  was  going  to  pull 
up  further  on.  There  was  a  pulling  up,  but  not  of  horses,  on 
account  of  this  incident  afterwards.  The  delay  might  not  seem 
to  be  of  much  consequence,  but  as  the  beaters  in  the  jungle  had 
begun  to  drive  the  elephants  at  7  A.  M.,  or,  according  to  Mr. 
Atherton's  account,  nearly  an  hour  sooner,  there  was  just  the 
chance  that  the  whole  of  the  preparations  made  with  so  much 


2$O  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

labor  and  at  so  great  a  cost  would  come  to  naught  if  the  Prince 
were  not  at  his  post.  Lieutenant  Thackwell,  one  of  the  Gover- 
nor's aides-de-camp,  ever  active  and  ready,  at  once  mounted  a 
horse ;  but  the  animal  had  a  will  of  his  own,  and  he  and  his 
rider  were  a  long  time  arguing  it  out  before  they  could  agree  on 
a  common  course  of  action.  Mr.  Campbell  started  off  on  horse- 
back and  Mr.  Varian  on  foot ;  but  the  Prince  was  not  overtaken 
till  his  carriage  had  reached  the  ferry-boat  at  Ayisawella,  some 
good  three  miles  further.  The  feelings  of  Mr.  Birch  meanwhile, 
as,  communing  with  himself,  he  walked  up  and  down  in  a  field 
off  the  road,  were  set  forth  in  touching  pantomine.  Waiting  by 
a  roadside  is  weary  work ;  and  Mr.  FitzGeorge  and  myself,  after 
a  short  conversation  with  Major  Tranchell,  who  was  guarding 
the  entrance  to  the  wood  with  his  police,  resolved  to  walk  to  the 
rendezvous.  The  path,  deep-trodden  by  many  feet,  led  by  the 
side  of  a  clear  stream  through  primeval  forest  and  jungle  \  and 
after  a  walk  of  half  a  mile  or  so,  we  came  on  bamboo  huts  and 
the  embers  of  fires  where  the  watch  had  been  keeping  in  the 
elephants.  Then  we  passed  sheds  in  which  biscuits,  tobacco, 
bread,  eggs,  and  fruit  were  on  sale.  In  fact,  within  the  silent 
jungle  which  was  spread  out  before  us  there  weie  parties  various- 
ly estimated  to  number  1200  or  1500  men,  who  had  been  en- 
gaged for  more  than  a  fortnight  constructing  the  Kraal,  and 
keeping  an  eye  on  the  elephants. 

We  passed  two  barriers  guarded  by  police,  and  arrived  at  a 
platform — a  sort  of  Grand  Stand — in  the  forest,  on  which  we 
found  Lord  Aylesford,  Dr.  Fayrer,  and  others,  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  the  Prince.  From  this  we  looked  down  on  an  im- 
mensely high  and  strong  stockade,  formed  of  trunks  of  trees 
strongly  strutted  and  stayed,  extending  across  a  shallow  wooded 
valley,  at  the  bottom  of  which  there  was  a  tiny  rivulet.  At  the 
other  side  of  the  valley  were  trees,  creepers,  and  bamboos,  so 
thick  that  the  stockade  could  hardly  be  seen  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  off.  Beyond  the  impenetrable  forest  gloom.  Outside  the 
stockade,  running  across  the  valley  up  the  hillside,  there  was  a 
stake  net  of  wood-work,  into  which  the  beaters  were  to  drive  the 


THE    STOCKADE.  25  I 

elephants  after  they  had  been  forced  past  the  high  rock  on  which 
the  Prince  was  to  be  placed  ;  spears  and  pointed  stakes  were 
piled  up  to  be  thrust  between  the  openings  should  any  elephant 
try  to  break  through.  Lining  the  stockade  were  some  hundreds 
of  men,  keeping  very  quiet. 

At  9  A.  M.  the  Prince  arrived  on  horseback,  dismounted,  and 
passed  through  the  stockade  to  the  stand.  He  was  attended  by 
Lord  C.  Beresford  and  Robertson.  Mr.  Hall  was  placed  in  a 
tree  within  sight  of  the  Prince.  The  yells  of  the  beaters  had 
been  audible  for  some  time  before  his  arrival.  Mr.  Fisher  and 
Mr.  Varian  went  inside  the  stockade  to  direct  the  operations, 
and  then  we  all  waited  for  an  hour  patiently.  Eleven  o'clock, 
twelve  o'clock,  one  o'clock,  came  and  went.  Still  no  shot.  At 
half-past  one  o'clock  there  was  a  tremendous  commotion.  The 
word  was  passed  that  the  herd  was  coming  down  towards  the 
stockade.  In  effect  they  did.  We  heard  the  beaters'  cries  com- 
ing nearer  and  nearer — just  as  in  a  deer  drive  in  the  Highlands. 
The  platform  was  deserted.  Every  one  rushed  to  the  Kraal, 
armed  with  spears  or  long  bamboos  to  thrust  through  the  inter- 
stices and  drive  back  the  elephants.  Every  eye  was  strained  to 
pierce  the  forest  depths,  where  bamboos  and  trees  cracked  like 
pistol  shots  beneath  the  trampling  of  elephant  hoofs.  Thrice 
the  Prince  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  ridge  like  the  top  of  a  loaf  of 
brown  bread  moving  swiftly  through  the  jungle  ;  but  it  was  only 
for  a  moment.  Suddenly  the  cries  of  the  beaters  ceased,  the 
crashing  and  snapping  noises  receded.  "  The  herd  has  gone 
back  again."  "  The  tusker  has  charged  and  broken  through." 
It  was  the  same  thing  over  and  over  again.  All  attempts  to 
force  the  herd  towards  the  stockade  failed.  In  the  jungle  were 
two  herds.  One  of  only  three,  led  by  an  old  tusker — charged 
with  the  death  of  four  European  sportsmen  and  of  many  cattle — 
the  other  of  seven — lady  elephants.  When  the  beaters  came  up, 
the  latter  put  themselves  under  the  old  tusker,  who  proved  to  be 
a  leader  whose  courage  and  coolness  were  only  equalled  by  his 
sagacity  and  strategical  skill.  He  not  only  refused  to  be  driven, 
but,  charging  at  the  head  of  his  column,  he  broke  through  the 


THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*   TOUR. 

beaters  again  and  again,  driving  them  up  trees  for  shelter,  and 
utterly  spoiling  sport.  A  suspicion  arose  that  the  Chief  was  play- 
ing false.  He  was  to  have  whatever  elephants  could  be  "  kraaled." 
If  the  Prince  fired,  there  was  small  chance  of  driving  them  to  the 
enclosure  ;  it  was  supposed,  therefore,  that  he  had  given  orders 
to  dodge  the  elephants  past  the  Prince's  stand,  if  possible.  Per- 
haps he  was  wronged.  He  was  told  that  if  the  Prince  did  not 
get  a  shot,  the  Kraal  would  be  destroyed  that  night ;  and  he  was 
seriously  spoken  to,  as  if  he  could  control  the  elephants  and  the 
beaters.  I  do  not  know  if  he  could.  Certain  it  is,  however, 
that  about  2  P.  M.,  after  the  Prince  had  been  five  hours  in  his 
stand,  and  Lord  Sufneld  and  others  had  volunteered  to  try  to 
dispose  of  the  tusker,  a  report  came  that  the  old  hero  and  the 
three  ladies  he  was  guarding  so  devotedly  had  separated  from 
the  herd  of  seven  elephants  with  which  they  had  fraternized,  and 
had  escaped  clean  away  into  the  forest.  In  vain  the  beaters 
yelled  like  demons  ;  they  were  charged  by  Don  Tuskerando, 
obliged  to  run  uphill  and  to  get  into  trees,  and  to  begin  the  drive 
again.  At  last  it  was  resolved  to  apply  the  ordeal  which 
elephants  so  much  dread.  Dried  timber  was  piled  up  in  the 
jungle  to  windward  of  the  female  herd,  and  set  on  fire.  Mr. 
Fisher  and  Mr.  Varian  marshalled  the  beaters,  and  permission 
was  given  to  some  of  them  who  were  armed  to  fire  into  the  rear 
of  the  elephants.  Presently  branches  crashed,  and  trees  shook 
violently,  a  couple  of  shots  were  heard — an  elephant  rushed,  like 
some  great  rock,  down  the  hillside  within  twenty  yards  of  the 
Prince,  who  fired,  and  hit  the  beast  in  the  head,  but  it  went  on 
and  was  lost  in  the  forest.  In  a  few  minutes  Mr.  Fisher  ran  up, 
"  steaming,"  and  said,  "  Sir  !  If  you  will  come  with  me  I  think  I 
can  get  you  a  shot.  I  have  wounded  an  elephant ;  I  know  where 
he  is,  and  you  can  kill  him."  The  Prince  descended  from  his 
post  and  set  out  with  him  creeping  through  the  dense  jungle  as 
well  as  he  could.  Mr.  Fisher  and  Mr.  Varian  were  on  each  side 
and  a  little  in  advance  of  his  Royal  Highness,  Peter  Robertson, 
Lord  Suffield,  Lord  C.  Beresford,  and  Mr.  Hall  followed  in  the 
rear.  The  heat  was  great ;  it  was  impossible  to  see  two  yards 


A   "  CRAWL       IN   THE  JUNGLE, 


253 


ahead  Shooting  hats  were  lost,  clothes  torn.  Suddenly  the 
elephant  which  had  been  wounded  was  discovered  through  the 
jungle.  The  Prince  fired — the  elephant  dropped  at  once,  and 
lay  as  if  dead.  Mr.  Hall  stopped  to  take  a  sketch ;  but  after  a 
while  the  elephant  began  first  to  move,  then  to  kick,  and  finally 
to  get  on  his  legs ;  whereupon  Mr.  Hall,  doubting  whether  he 
could  challenge  the  revenant  to  an  encounter  with  a  lead-pencil, 
prudently  sought  safety  in  flight.  Meantime  the  Prince  and  his 
companions  were  advancing  in  the  jungle  towards  the  place 
where  the  principal  herd  was  supposed  to  be.  There  was  a 
crashing  noise  in  the  forest  ahead.  The  beaters  got  up  into 
trees.  A  halt  was  called.  Mr.  Fisher  and  Mr.  Varian  became 
uneasy  and  alarmed,  and,  inexperienced  gentlemen  thought  un- 
necessarily so.  But  they  knew  the  situation.  Elephants  were 
close  at  hand,  though  they  could  not  be  seen.  At  any  moment 
an  elephant  might  rush  out ;  evasion  and  escape  were  hopeless, 
for  in  such  a  jungle  no  man  could  do  more  than  very  slowly 
creep,  whilst  the  elephant  could  go  through  the  brush  as  a  ship 
cleaves  the  water.  All  at  once,  Mr.  Fisher  perceived  an  elephant 


A  "CRAWL"  IN  THE  JUNGLE,  CEYLON. 


254  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

not  ten  yards  off  in  the  very  act  of  charging.  The  Prince  caught 
sight  of  it  also,  fired,  and  it  disappeared  in  the  jungle.  The 
huntsmen  continued  in  pursuit  cautiously,  but  the  creepers  and 
thick  under  growth  made  stout  resistance,  so  that  their  progress 
was  slow,  and  not  unexhausting.  In  a  few  minutes  more  another 
elephant  was  seen,  where  the  bush  was  not  so  dense,  by  the  side 
of  the  rivulet.  The  Prince  took  deliberate  aim  and  fired.  The 
great  beast  toppled,  and  fell  over  on  its  side  in  the  stream,  where 
it  dammed  up  the  waters  !  There  ensued  a  scene  of  great  ex- 
citement. The  Prince  descended  the  bank,  but  they  called  to 
him  to  take  care.  They  approached  and  watched  for  a  moment. 
The  creature  did  not  move — it  was  "  dead,  sure  enough  !  "  Then 
the  Prince,  assisted  by  the  hunters,  got  into  the  water  and 
climbed  upon  the  inert  mountain  of  flesh.  Down  came  the 
natives  from  tree,  stockade,  and  hillside.  Europeans  and  Cin- 
galese dashed  into  the  stream,  and  cheered  again  and  again, 
and  the  whole  party  whooped  and  woke  up  the  glade  with  their 
cries,  as  the  Prince  was  seen  standing  on  the  prostrate  body— 
which  was  not  that  of  the  redoubtable  tusker.  The  Prince, 
according  to  custom,  cut  off  the  tail.  As  soon  as  his  back  was 
turned,  the  Cingalese  took  pieces  from  the  ears  as  trophies  of 
the  day,  The  Prince  was  streaming  with  perspiration,  his 
clothes  wet,  and  torn  to  shreds.  It  was  getting  dark,  and  quite 
time  to  get  out  of  the  jungle.  The  party  mounted  their  horses 
and  returned  to  the  road.  Carriages  were  waiting  to  take  them 
to  Hanwele,  where  Governor  Gregory  and  others,  having  gone 
down  the  river  by  boat  from  Avisawella,  were  waiting  to  receive 
the  Prince  ;  but  ere  he  arrived,  he  met  with  a  little,  which  might 
have  been  a  great,  accident.  At  the  corner  of  a  small  bridge, 
where  there  was  a  deep  ditch,  the  carriage  went  right  over,  fling- 
ing the  occupants  on  each  other.  Lord  Ayiesford  was  on  the- box 
beside  the  driver.  General  Probyn,  Lord  C.  Beresford,  and  Mr. 
FitzGeorge  were  inside  with  the  Prince.  The  vehicle  was  broken, 
but  the  Prince  emerged  unhurt.  His  Royal  Highness  acts  on 
the  principle  of  the  late  Duke  of  Wellington,  "  not  to  be  afraid 
of  a  danger  when  it  is  over/'  and  the  first  thing  he  did  was  to 


THE    RIVER   KALA^Y    GANGA.  255 

inquire  after  "his  elephant's  tail."  It  was  long  after  dark  when 
the  Prince  reached  his  quarters,  and  he  must  have  been  excessively 
tired  ;  but  he  gave  a  full  account  to  the  Governor  of  his  adven- 
tures in  the  jungle,  and  of  his  upset.  At  the  latter  he  laughed 
heartily  ;  but  there  might  have  been  very  serious  results  had  the 
coach  turned  over  a  few  feet  further  on. 

At  Hanwele,  which  is  eleven  miles  from  the  ferry  at  Avisa- 
wella,  there  are  the  remains  of  an  old  Dutch  Fort.  The  Prince 
slept  in  the  Bungalow,  or  Rest-house,  and  his  followers  were 
quartered  in  various  detached  buildings.  The  fort  is  situated 
on  the  Kalany  Ganga,  which,  swollen  by  the  rains,  now  presents 
a  noble  appearance. 

December  7. — Soon  after  7  A.  M.  the  Prince,  though  there  had 
been  a  late  sitting  to  talk  over  the  details  of  the  day's  sport,  to 
wait  for  tidings  of  the  wounded  elephants,  and  to  read  letters 
and  home  news  in  the  mail  which  had  just  arrived,  left  Hanwele, 
and  drove  nineteen  miles  to  Colombo. 

Whilst  his  Royal  Highness  and  party  were  travelling  by  road, 
I  was  descending  the  river  Kalany  Ganga,  from  Hanwele  to 
Grand  Pass.  The  boat  in  which  I  was  a  passenger  was  some- 
thing like  the  large  vessels  formerly  used  by  Europeans  on  the 
Ganges,  and  could  have  accommodated  a  dozen  persons.  In 
the  stern  there  was  a  luxurious  apartment,  intended  to  shelter 
one  from  the  sun,  covered  over  with  thatch,  provided  with  sofa, 
table,  chairs,  &c.  Further  aft  was  a  kitchen,  where  the  meals 
were  cooked.  The  crew  consisted  of  four  men,  who  sometimes 
allowed  the  boat  to  glide  down  the  current  of  its  own  accord,  the 
steersman  astern  directing  it  with  an  oar-like  rudder,  sometimes 
pulled  vigorously,  and  sent  it  along  at  a  speed  of  six  or  seven 
miles  an  hour.  The  river  was  at  the  full ;  broader  than  the 
Thames  at  Greenwich,  but  flowing  through  very  different  scenery. 
I  have  never  beheld  anything,  even  in  our  recent  journey,  so 
wonderful  as  the  mass  of  vegetation  and  the  continuous  wall  of 
forest  on  the  banks.  It  could  not  be  supposed  that  there  were 
any  human  habitations  in  such  jungle,  but  at  every  turn,  and 
there  were  many,  we  came  upon  the  natives  fishing,  and  naviga- 


256  THE    PRWJCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

ting  their  frail  barks,  and  through  the  openings  in  the  glades 
here  and  there,  caught  sight  of  hamlets,  which  but  for  the  cocoa- 
nut-palms  that  hedged  them  in,  justifying  the  Cingalese  notion 
that  the  tree  will  not  live  out  of  reach  of  the  human  voice,  would 
be  scarcely  distinguishable  from  the  foliage  around. 

A  civil  native  gentleman  seeing  me,  when  I  landed  at  Grand 
Pass,  in  difficulties  for  a  conveyance  to  the  Governor's  house, 
very  kindly  harnessed  his  horse  to  a  gig  and  drove  me  to 
Colombo,  where  I  arrived  in  time  for  the  Prince's  levee,  which 
was  attended  not  only  by  the  Europeans  and  Cingalese  authori- 
ties, officials,  planters,  and  gentry,  but  by  deputations  from 
all  parts  of  the  island,  some  with  presents  and  addresses,  and 
by  a  large  number  of  yellow-robed  priests.  The  presentations  were 
numerous,  and  the  levee  was  not  long  over  before  it  was  neces- 
sary to  change  and  prepare  for  a  visit  to  the  Exhibition  at  the" 
Agri-Horticultural  Enclosure,  where  a  very  instructive  collection 
of  the  products,  fabrics,  and  manufactures  of  the  island,  as  well 
as  specimens  of  its.  natural  wealth  in  minerals  and  precious 
stones,  &c.,  and  of  jewelry,  and  the  like,  were  laid  out  in  a 
very  large  enclosure.  But  the  tent  was  crowded,  and  the  weath- 
er was  too  hot  to  enable  the  visitors  to  enjoy  the  sight.  Nath- 
less,  it  afforded  fair  occasion  to  many  ladies  and  gentlemen  to 
see  the  Prince  closely.  There  was  included  in  the  exhibition,  in  a 
booth  specially  erected  for  the  ceremony, — but  whether  designed 
for  the  Agricultural  or  the  Horticultural  part  I  cannot  assert, — 
the  representation  of  a  Cingalese  wedding.  For  those  who 
are  curious  in  such  subjects,  and  who  care  to  learn  what  the 
ceremonies  are,  there  are  plenty  of  books  extant,  and  it  would 
be,  perhaps,  misleading  to  describe  what  the  Prince  saw,  as  it 
might  have  been  a  "  mock  marriage,"  or  a  Gretna  Green  busi- 
ness a  la  Colombo.  Nor  shall  I  say  more  about  the  exhibition 
of  the  detachment  of  Veddahs  than  remark  that  they  destroyed 
two  phases  of  faith  which  had  obtained  among  the  visitors.  They 
were  such  indifferent  marksmen  with  the  bow  and  arrow  that 
they  would  have  been  nowhere  at  a  good  Archery  Club  Meeting, 
and  when  they  were  amused  they  laughed  like  other  people  As 


THE   VEDDAHS    LAUGH. 


257 


to  the  first,  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  had  to  shoot  before  the 
Prince  in  the  midst  of  an  immense  concourse  ;  and  as  to  the 
second,  they  may  have  been  very  much  tickled  at  the  idea 
of  being  sketched,  for  when  Mr.  Hall  produced  his  pencil  and 
book,  and  began  to  take  notes  of  them,  there  could  be  no  doubt 
of  their  hilarity,  and  the  harder  he  looked  at  them  and  sketched, 
and  the  more  they  looked  at  the  artist,  the  greater  was  their  merri 
ment.  Sir  Emerson  Tennent  gives  the  fullest  and  best  account 


THE  VEDDAHS    LAUGH. 

of  these  curious  people,  and  it  is  a  disheartening  reflection  that 
with  materials  so  void  of  prejudices  anJ  dogma,  it  is  impossible 
to  make  Christians  out  of  them.  Voila  ! — "  something  which 
gives  to  reflection  !  "  From  the  Agri-Horticultural  the  Prince 
drove  to  see  elephant  arches  and  trophies,  returning  to  the  State 
Banquet  in  the  Queen's  House,  to  which  Sir  W.  H.  Gregory  had 
invited  all  the  people  of  note  and  foreign  Consuls,  to  the  number 


258  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

of  seventy,  to  have  the  honor  of  meeting  him  ;  the  like  of  which 
has  never,  one  may  safely  say,  been  seen  in  any  time  of  Cinga- 
lese Kings,  or  of  Indian,  Portuguese,  Dutch,  or  English.  Nor 
with  that  and  with  its  pleasures  was  the  cup  quite  filled,  for  a 
ball  of  exceeding  brilliancy  and  admirable  in  every  way,  at  the 
Colombo  Club,  followed  at  10  P.  M.  I  am  not  quite  sure  of  the 
building,  though  I  can  aver  that  it  was  spacious,  airy,  abounding 
in  fine  rooms  handsomely  decorated,  with  excellent  music,  good 
floor,  and  indefatigable  dancers.  Human  nature,  not  princely, 
gives  way  under  such  stress  of  enjoyment.  Certain  of  the  guests, 
quite  tired  out,  retiring  to  the  Queen's  House,  rather  early, 
thought  they  would  like  to  procure  a  glass  of  water  or  lemonade. 
They  called  and  rang,  stamped  and  shouted — no  one  came.  Voices 
were  heard  all  the  while  clacking  in  Cingalese  at  hand,  whereupon, 
claymore  in  hand,  the  Duke  burst  in  upon  them.  And  lo !  they 
vanished  "  like  ghosts  at  cockcrow "  into  the  woods,  or  who 
knows  where — but,  any  way,  the  Governor  the  following  morning 
prayed,  in  much  amused  trepidation,  that  next  time  we  might  do 
our  spiriting  gently,  "  for,"  says  he,  "  these  fellows  think  nothing 
of  going  off  into  the  jungle,  and  I  don't  know  where  to  get  others, 
so  that  we  may  be  left  without  servants  in  an  instant."  The 
situation  was  too  grave  for  the  hint  to  be  neglected. 

December  8.  —  There  was  general  lassitude  this  morning. 
The  effects  of  the  shooting-excursion  in  the  forest  and  of  the 
climate  are  disagreeably  evident.  Lord  Suffield  suffers  from 
sore  throat ;  Lord  Aylesford  has  slight  fever ;  Mr.  Grey  is  far 
from  being  well,  and  has  to  remain  in  his  room.  The  house 
was  hemmed  in  with  box-wallahs.  They  were  regularly  in 
possession,  sat  outside  all  the  bedroom  doors,  and  encamped  in 
the  passages  and  garden.  Some  who  had  been  forbidden  admis- 
sion hovered  outside  the  sentries,  and  tempted  purchasers  from 
afar.  Inconceivable  rubbish  was  displayed  with  much  ostenta- 
tion, and  for  anything  good,  the  prices  were  ridiculous.  "  Cat's- 
eyes  "  were  offered  for  6oo/.,  which  were  probably  worth  a  third 
the  sum  to  those  who  have  an  affection  for  such  stones.  Never- 
theless, there  were  heavy  purchases  made  on  simple  principles. 


TAMIL    COFFEE    PICKERS. 

"What's  the  price  of  this  ring? "  "  That  very  fine  ring,  my  lord  ? 
Sold  one  like  it  one  thousand  rupees,  not  same  good  as  that." 
"  I'll  give  you  five  hundred  for  it.  Come!  will  you  take  it?" 
"  My  lord,  say  just  eight  hundred  !  I  should  like  to  oblige  you." 
"  Be  off  with  you."  "  Will  my  lord  give  seven  hundred  rupees, 
and  ruin  me  ?  "  "  No  ;  not  a  penny  more  than  five  hundred." 
"  Just  say,  my  lord,  six  hundred  and  fifty,  to  let  me  have  one 
rupee  profit."  "  No,"  &c.  The  ring,  be  sure,  is  sold  for  the 
five  hundred,  and  is  seldom  worth  what  is  paid  for  it ;  but  there 
are  exceptions  to  the  rule,  and  some  very  pretty  aTld  valuable 
articles  of  jewelry  were  purchased  at  fair  prices.  There  were  visits 
promised  to  Messrs.  Leechman's  cocoa  manufactory,  and  to 
Messrs.  Walls'  coffee  factory  in  the  forenoon.  The  Prince 
called,  on  his  way  to  them,  to  see  an  enormous  tortoise,  said 
to  have  belonged  to  the  last  Dutch  Governor,  and  to  be  more 
than  a  hundred  years  old.  The  tortoise,  who  was  "  at  home," 
appeared  not  to  be  at  all  sensible  of  the  honor,  and  to  have  more 
than  his  share  of  Dutch  phlegm.  Thence  his  Royal  Highness 
went,  in  a  very  hot  sun,  to  the  cocoa  manufactory  and  to  the 
coffee  factory,  which  deserved  a  visit  much  better  than  most 
show  places.  In  the  coffee-picking  rooms  there  were  some 
hundreds  of  Tamil  women  and  girls,  who  come  over  from  the 
mainland  with  their  families.  They  displayed  a  surprising 
quantity  of  silver  bangles,  necklaces,  bracelets,  gold  ear-rings, 
and  rings.  The  workers  in  any  English  factory  would  surely 
have  envied  them.  Their  behavior  was  perfect ;  they  neither 
stared  nor  giggled.  The  curious  and  characteristic  jewelry 
and  ornaments  attracted  the  attention  of  some  of  the  visitors  ; 
and  the  English  superintendant  was  asked  to  buy  what  struck 
them.  Indeed,  there  were  independent  efforts  made  at  barter 
by  intending  purchasers,  who  held  out  hands  full  of  money, 
and  pointed  out  what  they  affected ;  but  the  owners  did  not 
appear  inclined  to  sell.  When  the  superintendent  came  on 
the  scene,  it  was  different.  I  fear  he  ordered.  No  doubt  the 
women  received  full  value,  and  more,  for  their  ornaments  ;  but 
they  showed  no  disposition  to  part  with  them,  and  one,  as  she 


26O  THE    PRINCE   OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

removed  her  armlets,  was  quite  forlorn,  and  hid  her  tearful  eyes 
with  her  hand  when  they  were  removed.  Certainly  the  ordinary 
Tamil  silversmith  in  the  bazaar  can  make  the  articles  ;  but  there 
might  have  been  some  feeling  among  these  poor  people — some 
"heirloomry  "  sentiment  about  the  ornaments. 

Messrs.  Fisher  and  Varian  appeared  at  lunch,  and  reported 
that  the  two  wounded  elephants  had  escaped  to  the  mountains. 
At  4.30  P.  M.  the  Prince  received  deputations,  native  literates 
and  learned  Buddists,  who  presented  addresses  and  presents. 

The  laying  of  the  foundation-stone  of  the  new  Breakwater 
by  the  Prince  this  afternoon  was  an  interesting  ceremony.  There 
was  a  considerable  assemblage,  guard  of  honor,  band  and 
colors  of  the  57th  Regiment,  in  the  enclosure  around  the  stone, 
which  was  lowered  to  its  place  with  the  usual  formalities,  but 
the  eye  was  most  taken  with  the  splendid  crew  of  the  Serapis. 
Their  bronzed  faces,  broad  chests,  and  fine  stature,  afforded  a 
great  contrast  to  those  of  the  "  washed-out-looking  "  and  slightly 
rnaile  men  of  the  infantry  regiment,  the  men  of  which  lined  the 
way  to  the  reserved  seats.  Colombo  is  an  open  roadstead 
much  vexed  by  ocean,  and  landing  and  embarking  always  are 
difficult.  The  undertaking  is  a  great  one,  and  worthy  of  all 
success ;  and  the  breakers  which  thundered  close  at  hand  spoke 
very  eloquently  of  the  necessity  for  such  a  work,  which  will 
illustrate  the  administration  of  Sir  W.  H.  Gregory. 

The  Prince,  followed  by  the  people  to  the  water's  edge,  left 
Colombo  for  the  Serapis  in  the  evening.  A  farewell  dinner  was 
given  on  board  to  the  Governor  and  authorities.  The  town  and 
the  country  round  about  were  illuminated — the  fleet  and  shipping, 
bright  as  lanterns,  blue  and  red  lights,  rockets,  maroons,  and 
bombs  could  make  them.  With  the  expression  of  his  perfect 
contentment  to  all  concerned  for  his  reception  at  Ceylon,  and 
many  acknowledgments  of  the  pleasure  he  had  derived  from  his 
visit,  the  Prince  bade  his  excellent  host,  Sir  W.  H.  Gregory,  and 
his  staff  and  the  chief  persons,  good-by. 

Friar  Jordanus  and  others  have  told  us  many  wonderful 
things  about  this  ancient  kingdom.  But  the  quantity  of  truth-— 


THE   EVIL    ONE    IN    CEYLON.  26l 

a  rare  article  in  the  writings  of  ancient  travellers — which  he 
wrote,  all  things  considered,  is  remarkable.  We  did  not,  indeed 
come  across  the  "  island  wherein  there  is  a  lake  with  a  tree  in 
the  midst  of  it,  which  hath  the  property  of  turning  everything 
into  gold  which  is  washed  with  the  water,  and  of  curing  every 
wound  that  is  rubbed  with  the  leaf  of  the  tree."  There  is  still 
quite  enough  of  marvel  and  novelty  in  Ceylon  to  attract  travel- 
lers, even  although  they  may  not  be  so  fortunate  as  Knox  and 
Jordanus.  I  am  glad  to  add  that  none  of  us  in  our  rambles 
chanced,  as  far  as  I  know,  to  meet  with  what  they  both  speak  of. 
"  What  shall  I  say  then  ?  "  exclaims  Jordanus.  "  Even  the  Devil 
speaketh  many  a  time  and  oft  to  man  in  the  night  season,  as  I 
have  heard  him."  Mr.  Mitford  presumes  to  insinuate  that  it 
was  the  cry  of  a  night-hawk  which  the  Friar  mistook  for  the 
voice  of  the  Evil  One ;  but  Knox,  in  his  narrative  of  adventures, 
declares  that  at  night  he  frequently  heard  Beelzebub  calling  out 
in  Ceylon.  He  says,  "  This  for  certain  I  can  affirm,  that  often- 
times the  Devil  doth  cry  with  audible  voice  in  the  night.  If' is 
very  shrill,  almost  like  the  barking  of  a  dog,  and  this  I  have 
often  heard  myself ;  but  I  never  heard  that  he  did  anybody  any 
harm."  (The  puir  De'il !)  "  Only  this  observation  the  inhabitants 
of  the  island  (Ceylon)  have  made  of  this  voice,  and  I  have  made 
it  also,  that  either  just  before,  or  very  suddenly  after  this  voice, 
always  the  King  cuts  off  people.  To  believe  that  this  is  the 
voice  of  the  Devil  three  reasons  urge,  and  'tis  so  accounted  by 
all  the  people  : — *  ist,  Because  there  is  no  creature  known  to 
the  inhabitants  that  cries  like  it ;  and  (2)  because  it  will  on  a 
sudden  depart  from  one  place  to  make  a  noise  in  another 
quicker  than  any  fowl  could  fly ;  and  (3)  because  the  very  dogs 
will  tremble  and  shake  when  they  hear  it.  This  voice  is  heard 
only  in  Kandy,  and  never  in  the  lowlands.'  "  Then  he  goes  on 
to  tell  how  the  Cingalese,  "  when  they  hear  this  voice,  will  curse 
the  Devil,  calling  him  a  *  beef-eating  slave,'  and  telling  him  " 
(which  seems  needless)  "  to  be  damned.  Whereupon  the  voice 
always  ceaseth  for  awhile,  and  seems  to  depart,  being  heard  at 
a  greater  distance." 


262  THE   PRINCE. OF   WALES'   TOUR. 

The  Prince  had  to  overcome  opposition  to  his  project  of 
including  Ceylon  in  the  tour.  There  were  difficulties  in  rela- 
tion to  other  places  in  the  programme  connected  with  the  visit, 
which  encouraged  those  who  did  not  think  the  island  very  inter- 
esting to  persist  in  objections  which  it  needed  persistence  to  meet 
and  overcome.  The  Prince  has  to  be  congratulated  on  the  re- 
sult. He  greatly  pleased  the  inhabitants,  native  and  European, 
and  he  certainly,  notwithstanding  the  weather  and  some  impedi- 
ments to  the  execution  of  the  original  plan,  passed  a  very  agree- 
able time  there.  The  memories  of  Ceylon  will  always  be  green 
as  the  island  itself. 


CARVING  A   GOD  AT   MADURA. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TUTICORIN — MADRAS. 

Tuticorin — Tamil  land — Tinnevelly  Christians — Madura — The  cholera  again 
— Trimul  Naik — The  Ranee  of  Shivagunga— Seringham — Trichinopoly — 
Madras— The  Duke  of  Buckingham's  Reception — The  Golden  Umbrella 
— The  Rajas — Prince  of  Arcot— Races — Illumination  of  the  Surf — Na- 
tive Entertainment — Departure. 

DECEMBER  9. — In  the  middle  watches  of  the  night  the  Serapis, 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  her  officers,  left  her  moorings  in  the 

263 


264  THE   PRINCE   OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

road-stead  of  Colombo,  and  proceeded  to  sea.  As  the  first  turn  of 
the  screw  shook  the  vessel,  and  as  she  reeled  over  in  the  sea- 
way, thefe  were  probably  a  few,  who  turned  uneasily  in  their 
hammocks,  aware  of  the  fact  that  we  were  under  weigh,  and 
would  see  Ceylon  no  more.  When  the  morning  advanced, 
there  could  be  no  doubt  that  we  were  at  sea,  and  very 
much  so,  too.  Although  sailors  might  not  consider  the  wind 
strong,  it  was  powerful  enough  to  raise  a  lopping  sea,  which  ren- 
dered it  impossible  to  enjoy  any  amusement  on  deck,  and  which 
also,  as  we  afterwards  learned,  caused  much  alarm  to  the  special 
correspondents,  for  whose  use  Sir  William  Gregory  had  provided 
a  coasting  steamer — the  best  he  could  procure — of  no  great  pow- 
er or  size.  An  uninteresting  sea ;  no  vessels  or  boats  in  sight. 
On  the  right  a  faint  cloud-like  land,  which  melted  away  gradually 
in  the  Gulf  of  Manaar.  Observations  at  noon  gave  lat.  8°  i'  N., 
long.  78°  56'  E.  Eighty-six  miles  since  4  A.  M.  Tuticorin  Light 
sixty-four  miles  distant.  About  4  P.  M.  the  coast  could  be  made 
out,  and  after  a  time  we  saw  the  inevitable  palm-trees,  which 
waved  their  arms  to  welcome  us.  But  riding  outside,  some  dis- 
tance from  the  shore,  a  brig  at  anchor  afforded  unpleasant  proof 
of  the  roughness  of  the  sea.  Staff-Commander  Goldsmith,  how- 
ever, did  not  think  much  of  it,  though  he  was  not  so  well  pleased 
with  the  soundings,  which  showed  that  the  Serapis  would  have  to 
give  the  land  a  wide  berth.  Presently  the  Light-House  and  a  coast 
which  put  one  greatly  in  mind  of  the  scenery  about  Shoeburyness, 
plus  cocoa-nut-trees,  came  in  view.  At  5.25  P.  M.  the  Serapis 
brought  up  five  miles  south  of  Tuticorin.  There  was  no  appear- 
ance of  any  authority  with  or  without  a  cocked  hat.  The  "  locals  " 
were  evidently  taken  by  surprise — caught  in  ^siesta,  or  ignorant  of 
the  Prince's  coming.  Commander  Durrant  came  off  from  the  Os- 
borne,  and  had  by  no  means  an  easy  task  to  board.  He  and  his 
crew  had  a  ducking,  and  as  he  stepped  on  the  ladder  he  was  caught 
by  a  wave  up  to  his  knees.  When  he  had  occasion  to  go  back,  he 
very  wisely,  if  very  actively,  lowered  himself  down  by  a  ladder  of 
ropes  hanging  astern  into  his  gig.  At  7  P.  M.  a  boat  came  off 
from  shore  with  the  Master- Attendant.  It  was  ordered  that  the 


TUTICORIN.  265 

luggage  and  baggage  should  be  ready  at  daybreak,  lighters  to  be 
alongside  at  5  A.  M.  to  convey  them  on  shore. 

December  10. — At  5  A.  M.  every  one  was  up  and  stirring; 
but  not  a  boat  was  to  be  seen.  The  sea  was  "rough  and  lumpy." 
and  it  rained  during  the  night.  As  I  was  in  my  cabin  I  heard  a 
heavy  thump  on  the  deck,  and  was  told  by  Dr.  Fayrer  that  a 
man  had  fallen  out  of  the  mizzen  rigging,  and  was  very  badly 
hurt.  It  was  one.  of  the  few  accidents  which  occurred  on  board, 
and,  I  am  glad  to  say,  the  man  quite  recovered.  At  6  A.  M.  three 
large  boats  were  seen  beating  around  the  point  under  reefed 
main-sails.  Before  they  arrived  alongside,  the  Margaret  North- 
cote,  which  is  certainly  not  intended  for  anything  but  the  smoothest 
inland  navigation,  struggled  to  get  near  the  Serapis,  and  made 
terribly  bad  weather  of  it  as  she  encountered  the  roll  of  the  sea. 
She  is  a  very  crank  little  craft,  and  will  go  pearl-fishing  for  her- 
self some  day,  if  she  be  sent  out  in  bad  weather.  We  gazed  with 
compassion  at  the  group  of  gentlemen  in  uniform — Mr.  Robin- 
son, Colonel  Hearn,  Mr.  Shaw  Stewart,  Dr.  Stewart,  and  others 
— on  board,  when  she  came  near  enough  to  enable  us  to  see  her 
deck,  which  inclined  sideways  occasionally,  as  if  to  tilt  them  into 
the  sea.  Compassion  for  them  deepened  into  commiseration  for 
ourselves  when  we  were  informed  that  the  body  of  the  suite  would 
be  transferred  on  board  that  very  same  vessel.  To  our  great 
regret  Lord  Suffield  and  Mr.  Grey  had  to  remain  on  board  the 
Serapis  in  charge  of  Dr.  Watson,  as  Dr.  Fayrer  did  not  consider 
it  judicious  for  Lord  Suffield  to  expose  himself  to  the  land  jour- 
ney, and  Mr.  Grey  was  too  weak  to  attempt  it.  It  was  a 
manuals  quart  d'heure  for  those  on  board  the  Margaret  North- 
cote,  It  seemed  as  if  she  never  would  get  her  anchor.  General 
Probyn,  for  once  as§uming  control  of  a  department  not  his  own, 
stimulated  the  gentlemen  of  color  who  were  not  engaged  at  the 
windlass  by  fervid  orations  in,  or  in  what  ought  to  have  been, 
their  native  language,  which  they  seemed  not  to  understand.  At 
last  we  reached  terra firma.  The  preparations  were  pretty;  but 
there  was  really  very  little  time  to  look  about  one.  A  tem- 
porary pavilion  or  pandal  had  been  erected,  in  which  the  inevi- 
12 


266  THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES*   TOUR. 

table  address  was  delivered,  and  the  Zemindars  were  presented  ; 
and  when  the  exchange  of  courtesies  had  ended,  the  Prince  walked 
to  the  Station,  where  he  waited  till  the  exhausted  and  exhausting 
Margaret  Northcote  had  delivered  her  luckless  freight.  It  is 
scarcely  possible  to  exaggerate  the  quiet  charms  of  the  scenery 
along  the  new  railway,  or  the  great  delight  of  people  at  the  com- 
bined attraction  of  the  first  train  of  the  Prince.  The  whole  pop- 
ulation thronged  to  the  roadside.  The  tall,  erect  figures,  square 
shoulders,  broad  chests,  narrow  flanks,  and  straight  limbs  of  the 
men,  struck  one  almost  as  much  as  the  graceful  carriage  and  ele- 
gant forms  of  the  women.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  finer 
race  in  any  part  of  the  world.  Their  attitudes  of  wonder  and 
joy  were  singularly  graceful  and  attractive.  Some  expressed 
their  feelings  by  placing  their  hands,  clasped  as  if  in  prayer,  be- 
fore their  breasts  ;  others  their  fingers  to  their  lips,  as  if  to  sup- 
press their  cries ;  but  as  the  train  passed,  one  and  all  clapped 
hands,  as  if  they  were  of  a  London  audience  applauding  at  a  thea- 
tre. A  more  natural,  easy,  and  well-to-do  looking  people  could 
not  be  found  in  Christendom.  Plains  green  with  sugar,  rice,  and 
cotton,  spread  to  the  foot  of  the  wooded  hills  of  gneiss-rock, 
which,  generally  conical,  were  sometimes  worn  into  fantastic  out- 
line of  castle-like  crag  and  beetling  precipice.  It  is  certainly  a 
land,  if  not  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  inhabited  by  a  popula- 
tion of  sweet  and  kindly  disposition,  whose  virtues  are  admitted 
by  the  missionaries,  and  whose  exceeding  tractability  has  gained 
for  them  "  the  praise  of  masters  not  always  given  to  indulge  in 
over-laudation  of  any  native  virtues." 

This  part  of  India,  which  the  missionaries  call  Tamil  Land, 
is  larger  than  Bavaria,  Saxony,  Wurtemberg,  and  the  German 
Dukedoms  together,  and  contains  a  population  of  about  sixteen 
millions  of  people.  The  Nilgherries,  rising  to  the  height  of 
8000  feet ;  the  Pulnee,  with  peaks  7000  feet  high,  and  their 
eastern  offshoots,  diversify  the  surface  ;  and  the  watersheds 
throw  off  supplies  for  the  great  rivers,  which  become,  however, 
for  part  of  the  year,  little  more  than  beds  of  sand.  Coffee  is 
planted  on  the  lower  ranges ;  rice,  in  great  quantities,  is  cultiva- 


TINNEVELLY    CHRISTIANS.  267 

ted  in  the  plains,  and  sugar  cultivation  is  extending.  Indigo 
and  different  kinds  of  grain  thrive  in  parts  of  the  district,  if  so 
it  may  be  called,  and  cotton  is  not  only  sufficiently  abundant  for 
the  wants  of  the  native  manufacturers,  but  gives  margin  for 
export.  The  manufacture  of  iron,  the  ore  of  which  is  found  in 
large  quantities,  though  not  of  very  great  excellence,  is  still 
carried  on.  Here  we  have  the  salt  tax  and  monopoly  in  full 
force,  the  French  at  Pondicherry  receiving  4o,ooo/.  a  year  for 
prohibiting  the  manufacture  within  their  settlements  ;  the  rev- 
enue of  the  Tamil  district  from  this  objectionable  source 
amounting  to  about  two  millions  of  rupees  per  annum.  One  of 
the  German  missionaries  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Society 
has  expressed  a  regret,  in  which  I  certainly  share,  that  the  so- 
briety of  the  people  has  been  undermined,  if  not  by  the  English 
Government,  certainly  by  its  legislation,  for  it  has  introduced 
the  system  of  selling  the  right  to  make  palm-tree  toddy  to  the 
highest  bidder,  and  drunkenness  —  once  the  great  disgrace 
amongst  Hindoos,  and  even  a  capital  offence,  and  punished 
with  severity  under  the  Mohammedans, — is  steadily  increasing. 

At  Maniachy,  eighteen  miles  from  Tuticorin,  a  deputation  of 
about  6000  native  Christians,  including  a  large  body  of  clergy 
and  catechists,  and  1000  boys  and  girls  receiving  education  in 
Church  of  England  schools  awaited  the  arrival  of  his  Royal 
Highness.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Caldwell,  the  able  and  learned  mis- 
sionary of  the  Society  for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel,  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Sergent,  a  veteran  representative  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  surrounded  by  a  considerable  staff  of  Eng- 
lish clergy,  stood  on  the  platform  side  by  side,  typifying  the 
perfect  unanimity  with  which  our  two  great  Church  Societies  are 
laboring  for  the  evangelization  of  India.  When  his  Royal  High- 
ness alighted  from  his  carriage,  the  missionaries  were  presented 
to  him  by  Mr.  Robinson  and  Canon  Duckworth.  Dr.  Caldwell 
read  an  address  of  welcome  from  the  Church  of  Tinnevelly,  ex- 
pressing the  devoted  loyalty  of  its  members  and  their  deep  sense 
of  the  special  blessings  they  enjoyed  as  the  Christian  subjects 
of  a  Christian  Sovereign.  The  progress  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 


268  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

land  Mission  in  this  region  was  sketched,  and  it  was  shown  how 
the  good  seed  conveyed  from  Tanjore  by  Schwartz,  about  the 
end  of  the  last  century,  and  that  which  was  sown  broadcast 
from  1820  onwards  by  Rhenins,  both  German  missionaries  in 


NATIVE   CHRISTIANS   AT   TINNEVELLY. 

the  employ  of  English  societies,  had  been  nurtured  by  mission- 
aries since  1840,  until  the  native  Christian  community  in  Tinne- 
velly  is  the  most  numerous  in  India.  Christian  congregations 
have  been  formed  in  about  600  towns,  villages,  and  hamlets, 


A   TAMIL    LYRIC.  269 

composed  exclusively  of  converts.  The  total  number  of  native 
Christians  in  the  district  was  stated  to  be  60,000,  who  are  under 
the  charge  of  54  native  clergy  and  590  catechists  and  teachers 
of  various  grades;  and  the  number  of  communicants  is  10,378. 
The  schools  are  attended  by  about  13,000  boys  and  girls.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  the  Christians  in  Tinnevelly  contributed 
last  year  32,483  rupees  for  the  support  of  their  own  Church, 
equivalent  in  the  sacrifice  it  represents  to  eight  or  ten  times  the 
amount  in  England.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  address  a  hand- 
somely-bound Bible  and  Prayer-book,  in  the  Tamil  language, 
and  offerings  of  embroidery  and  exquisitely,  fine  lace,  the  handi- 
work of  girls  attending  the  Tinnevelly  schools,  were  presented 
to  his  Royal  Highness. 

The  Prince  having  replied  to  the  address  in  gracious  and  en- 
couraging words,  the  children  sang  a  "  Tamil  lyric,"  composed 
in  the  Prince's  honor,  of  which  the  following  is  a  translation,  in 
chorus  to  a  quaint  native  air : — 

"  Through  the  grace  of  the  blessed  Lord  of  Heaven,  O  son  of  our  Victo- 
rious Queen,  mayest  thou  ever  enjoy  all  prosperity ! 

"  It  is  our  peculiar  happiness  to  be  subject  to  a  Sceptre  under  which  the 
leopard  and  the  deer  continually  drink  at  the  same  stream. 

'•  Crossing  seas  and  crossing  mountains,  thou  hast  visited  this  southern- 
most region,  and  granted  to  those  who  live  under  the  shadow  of  thy  Royal 
umbrella  a  sight  of  thy  benign  countenance. 

"  May  thy  realm,  on  which  sun  and  moon  never  set,  become  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  more  and  more  illustrious ! 

"  May  the  lion-flag  of  the  British  nation  wave  gloriously  far  and  wide, 
and  wherever  it  waves  may  the  Cross-Banner  of  our  Lord  Jesus  fly  with  it 
harmoniously ! 

"  God  preserve  thee  and  regard  thee  with  an  eye  of  grace,  and  grant  thee 
long  life  and  victory,  and  bless  thee  for  evermore  ! 

"Obeisance  to  thee!  Obeisance  to  thee,  O  wise  King  that  art  to  be! 
Safely  may'st  thou  reach  again  the  capital  of  thy  realm,  O  thou  whom  all  men 
justly  praise  I  " 

After  receiving  this  vocal  homage,  his  Royal  Highness  handed 
to  representatives  from  each  of  the  schools  mango  and  other 
seedlings,  to  be  planted  in  the  school-compounds  in  memory  of 


27O  THE   PRINCE   OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

his  visit,  and,  doubtless,  in  many  a  hamlet  of  Tinnevelly  the 
"  Prince's  tree  "  will  keep  alive  for  generations  the  traditions  of 
the  hour  when  the  Christians  of  Southern  India,  long  wont  to 
pray,  like  ourselves,  for  "  Albert  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales,  the 
Princess  of  Wales,  and  the  rest  of  the  Royal  Family,"  stood  face 
to  face  with  their  future  Sovereign0 

At  12.20  P.  M.  the  train  stopped  at  Kovilpatty,  thirty-six  miles 
from  Tuticorin.  There  was  a  small  camp  and  a  handsome  mess 
tent  fitted  up  luxuriously  near  the  station.  The  tents  belonged 
to  the  minor  Zemindar  of  Ettiapuram,  who  was  there  with  his 
kinsfolk  and  tenants,  and  the  usual  mighty  multitude,  to  greet 
the  Prince.  Once  more  we  had  occasion  to  wonder  at  the  swarm- 
ing masses,  and  to  admire  the  fine  forms,  pleasant  manners  and 
looks,  and  picturesque  appearance  of  the  people.  There  was  a 
halt  of  half-an-hour  for  luncheon,  and  before  the  Prince  resumed 
his  journey  he  accepted  from  the  Zemindar  some  articles  of  trifling 
value  as  mementoes  of  his  visit.  A  little  before  5  P.  M.  the  train 
reached  its  destination  at  Madura.  The  niladmirari  is  a  secret  of 
happiness  that  is  now  well-nigh  lost  in  India,  but  there  was  a  light- 
ness and  grace  in  the  decorations  of  the  Station  and  of  the  streets, 
and  something  arcadian  in  the  aspect  of  the  city,  which,  sated 
as  the  eye  is  with  sights,  attracted  attention.  The  engine  which 
had  drawn  the  Royal  train,  hitherto  anonymous,  was  christened 
the  Alexandra  by  the  Prince,  and  the  line  of  the  S.  I.  P.  R.  to 
Madura  declared  to  be  open.  The  procession  of  the  Prince 
from  the  Station  to  his  residence  was  like  many  others,  but  it 
succeeded  in  the  object  of  giving  pleasure  to  thousands  of 
spectators.  Flags  and  festoons  were  profuse  ;  in  the  main  street 
there  was  a  white  triumphal  arch  of  taboot  work  in  perforated 
paper,  covered  with  talc  plates  and  silver  plaques,  behind  which 
was  a  screen  of  red.  The  arch  was  surmounted  by  three  domes, 
with  four  minarets,  two  on  each  flank.  There  were  also  eight 
pandals  in  the  town,  in  addition  to  those  put  up  by  the  Railway 
Company.  The  cleansing,  scouring,  white-washing,  painting, 
and  deodorizing,  which  were  the  usual  precursors  of  the  Prince's 
visits,  were  vigorously  carried  out. 


MADURA.  271 

Madura  deserves  the  credit,  which  its  inhabitants  at  least 
award  to  it,  of  being  the  most  charming  town  in  Southern  India. 
The  streets,  if  unpaved,  are  broad,  ornamented  with  palm-trees, 
well  swept  and  clean.  We  may  believe  or  not,  as  we  please, 
that  it  was  once  the  capital  of  a  Kingdom,  which  sent  its  am- 
bassadors to  Augustus  at  Rome ;  but  all  must  admit  that  the 
public  buildings  and  temples  attest  the  great  prosperity  and  riches 
of  its  more  recent  native  rulers.  The  people  say  it  is  called 
Madura  from  a  Sanscrit  root  signifying  "  sweetness,"  and  the 
repose  of  its  tanks  and  groves,  and  the  placid  air  of  its  inhabit- 
ants, bespeak  long  freedom  from  the  effects  of  war  and  tumult. 
It  is  the  centre  of  missionary  enterprise,  particularly  for  the  Amer- 
ican Societies,  and  the  latest  accounts  of  evangelizing  progress 
state  that  there  are  139  congregations  in  the  district,  with  an 
aggregate  of  7000  Christians.  In  the  whole  of  Tamil  Land  there 
are  said  to  be  now  about  120,000  Protestant  Christians.  But 
there  is  some  reason  to  fear  that  the  Abbe  Dubois  was  right  in 
his  melancholy  deduction  from  the  labors  of  his  life  amongst 
the  Hindoos.  There  is  no  permanent  increase  ;  in  fact,  the 
Christian  churches  seem  to  have  been  more  numerous  and 
flourishing  in  the  time  of  Friar  Jordanus  than  they  are  at  present. 

When  the  English  succeeded  the  Dutch,  who  had  driven  out 
the  Portuguese  in  Southern  India,  the  ecclesiastical  authorities 
and  missionaries  for  some  time  got  on  exceedingly  well  with  the 
Churches  which  recognized  the  Patriarch  of  Antioch ;  but  after 
a  while  there  was  a  split  among  those  they  call  the  Thomas 
Christians,  one  portion  adhering  to  the  Anglicans,  and  another 
retaining  their  allegiance  to  Antioch,  and  calling  their  Bishops 
from  Syria.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  still  flourishing 
establishments  over  the  land  ;  and  as  there  are  varieties  of  mis- 
sionaries belonging  to  sections  of  the  Protestant  Church,  each 
working  on  the  account  of  their  own  body, — Americans,  Germans, 
Danes,  and  Englishmen, — the  natives  may  point  to  the  discrep- 
ancies amongst  these  professors  of  Christianity  as  some  reason 
for  adhering  to  their  own  belief.  But  the  missionaries  have,  not- 
withstanding, made  greater  progress  in  this  region,  probably, 


2/2  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*   TOUR. 

than  in  any  part  of  the  heathen  world.  Progress  has  not  always 
been  uniform ;  and  if  we  compare  the  condition  of  the  ancient 
Christian  Churches  with  that  of  the  present  establishments,  we 
may  find  reason  to  believe  that  there  have  been  very  decided 
lapses,  and  not  only  no  progress,  but  retrograde  movements  at 
times.  But  that  there  is  no  reason  to  despair  of  eventual  success 
in  this  part  of  India  is  the  belief  of  Sir  Bartle  Frere  and  of  very 
high  authorities. 

In  less  than  an  hour  the  Prince  arrived  at  his  charming 
quarters,  situated  in  front  of  the  Teppa  Kollum  (or  "  Floating 
Tank  "),  but  with  the  disadvantage  of  having  the  public  road 
running  between  the  door-steps  and  the  Tank.  The  latter  is 
walled  round  and  cased  with  black  granite  steps.  In  the  midst 
of  the  tranquil  lake  there  is  a  shrine,  or  temple,  embowered  in 
trees,  on  an  artificial  island.  There  was  an  inevitable  dispersion 
of  the  suite.  "  Where  ignorance  is  bliss,  'tis  folly  to  be  wise," 
and  we  were  well  content  with  the  quarters  assigned  to  us  ;  but 
the  distance  prevented  some  of  the  suite  seeing  the  illuminations 
and  fireworks — or  at  least  any  more  of  the  latter  than  the  highest 
bursting  charges.  The  ladies  of  the  Station  were  admitted  to 
witness  them  from  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  were  presented  to 
the  Prince,  and  there  was,  I  believe,  a  musical  entertainment 
subsequently.  Before  dinner  the  principal  personages  were 
received  ;  among  them  the  Native  Chiefs,  of  whom  the  most  con- 
spicuous in  more  ways  than  one  was  the  Raja  of  Pudukotta, 
commonly  called  the  Tondiman  Raja. 

His  Excellency  Raja  Ramachundra  Tondiman  Bahadoor  of 
Putukottai,  or  Pudducottah,  is  a  small  stout  man  of  forty-six. 
He  speaks  English  and  a  little  French,  as  well  as  Telugu,  Tamil, 
Hindustani,  and  Mahratta ;  is  a  Sudra  by  caste  of  the  tribe  of 
the  Kallar  (called  "Colleries  "  by  Orme).  His  State,  with  the 
administration  of  which  he  has  little  or  nothing  to  do,  covers 
1380  square  miles,  and  has  a  population  of  320,000.  There  are 
3000  tanks,  some  of  great  size.  One  peculiarity  of  the  State  is 
that  it  has  no  treaty  with  the  British  Government,  is  exempt  from 
tribute,  and  has  independent  Courts  of  Justice.  But,  for  all  that 


"A    HORRID    WHISPER."  2/3 

the  poor  man  has  no  power,  for  he  is  under  British  suzerainty, 
and  he  is  controlled  even  to  his  expenditure  of  pocket-money 
by  the  Political,  who  can  "  remonstrate," — that  is,  scold  and 
threaten  him — de  omnibus.  His  subjects  can  be  tried  in  British 
territory  for  offences  therein  committed ;  but  his  little  State  is  a 
kind  of  Alsatia  for  refugees  from  the  surrounding  British  districts  ; 
and  his  "army"  of  21  horse  and  126  foot  is  sometimes  suspected 
of  considerable  eccentricity  in  its  military  capacity.  As  a  pun- 
ishment for  running  in  debt,  the  Raja  has  been  deprived  of  some 
of  his  titles,  and  has  lost  his  guns  !  But  he  seems  to  be  a 
perverse  kind  of  potentate,  an  incorrigible,  for  he  was  as  splendid 
with  jewels  as  any  we  had  seen,  and  offered  presents  of  great 
price  to  the  Prince.  It  is  said  his  jewels  are  not  always  in  his 
possession,  and  that  his  revenue  of  325,000  rupees  has  many 
claims  on  it.  This  is  not  a  pleasant  condition  for  the  represen- 
tative of  a  house  which  is  described  "  as  the  oldest  and  truest 
allies  of  the  British  in  Southern  India,  who  most  materially  aided 
them  in  their  contest  for  supremacy  with  the  French,  especially 
in  the  stirring  events  around  Trichinopoly,  and  in  the  wars 
against  Hyder  Ali  and  Tippoo."  It  is  said  by  some  learned 
people  that  the  Tondiman  Rajas  of  the  period  were  mere  robber 
Chiefs,  and  that  we  ought  to  be  rather  ashamed  of  ourselves  for 
the  alliance.  The  Raja  showed  the  Prince  a  most  interesting 
book,  consisting  of  letters,  despatches,  and  correspondence 
between  Clive  and  others  and  his  ancestors  relating  to  these 
times. 

December  n. — "  A  horrid  whisper  ran  o'er  us  as  we  lay"  in 
our  beds  in  the  bungalow  where  I  was  quartered,  this  morning. 
My  servant,  with  a  face  perceptibly  less  dark  than  usual,  inform- 
ed me  that  the  cholera  was  amongst  us.  There  was  a  force  of 
500  native  policemen  collected  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to 
keep  order  and  to  watch  over  the  Royal  quarters,  and  of  these, 
two  he  said,  had  been  attacked  in  the  night,  and  were  now  dead 
men.  Apropos  of  police,  it  was  stated  that  the  administration 
of  this  district  of  2,500,000  souls  is  carried  on  by  just  seven 
Europeans. 

12*  18 


274  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

Trimal  Naik,  whose  name  is  susceptible  of  many  variations, 
must  have  been  a  great  king.  He  reigned  at  Madura  from  1621 
to  1657,  and  he  built  palaces,  temples  (of  these  no  less  than 
ninety-six),  and  tanks  on  a  magnificent  scale.  His  Choultrie 
("  Mandapan  "),  or  lodging-place  for  the  idol,  which  was  taken 
from  the  Temple  near  at  hand  and  deposited  for  ten  days  each 
year  in  this  great  edifice,  measures  333  feet  by  105  feet.  It  is 
of  iron-grey  granite  of  exceeding  hardness.  It  was  built  in 
twenty-two  years,  and  was  finished  at  a  cost  of  a  million  sterling, 
just  about  the  time  of  the  outbreak  of  our  civil  war  between 
Charles  I.  and  his  Parliament.  In  front  of  the  Choultrie  there 
is  a  gate-tower,  which  Trimal  Naik  did  not  live  to  finish.  The 
door-posts  are  single  blocks  of  granite  60  feet  high,  covered 
with  the  most  beautifully  sculptured  foliage — not  one  square 
inch  without  a  trace  of  that  patient  labor.  The  interior  presents 
a  display  of  four  rows  of  sculptured  columns  25  feet  high.  It  is 
scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  there  is  enough  of  detail  on  each 
of  these  to  need  half-an-hour's  study.  The  figures  are  elaborated 
with  extraordinary  richness  and  abundant  fancy.  The  facade  is 
covered  with  monsters  with  lions'  heads  and  bodies,  trampling 
on  elephants,  and  with  figures  on  horseback  engaged  in  killing 
men  and  tigers — the  horses'  feet  resting  on  shields  which  are 
borne  by  soldiers.  "As  works,"  says  Fergusson,  "exhibiting 
difficulties  overcome  by  patient  labor,  they  are  unrivalled,  as  far 
as  I  know,  by  anything  found  elsewhere.  As  works  of  art  they 
are  the  most  barbarous,  it  may  be  said  the  most  vulgar,  to  be 
found  in  India,  and  do  more  to  shake  one's  faith  in  the  civiliza- 
tion of  the  people  who  produced  them  than  anything  they  did  in 
any  other  department  of  art.' 

In  the  great  pillared  hall  there  are  statues  of  the  Raja  arid 
of  his  six  wives.  There  is  one  whose  side  exhibits  a  deep  gash. 
The  story  goes  that  when  the  Raja  had  finished  his  palace  he 
took  his  wife,  who  was  a  Princess  of  the  house  of  Tanjore,  to 
witness  the  great  work  he  had  accomplished,  expecting  her  to 
be  struck  with  amazement ;  but  whether  they  had  had  any  little 
conjugal  quarrel  that  morning  or  not,  it  is  quite  certain  that  the 


TRIMAL   NAIK.  2/5 

Princess  was  not  moved  to  the  expression  of  any  feeling  of 
wonder  or  surprise.  The  Raja  asked  :  "  Has  your  father,  of 
whose  greatness  you  so  often  tell  me,  any  building  in  his  do- 
minions at  all  like  this  ?  "  "  Like  this  !  "  she  replied  ;  "  why 
the  sheds  in  which  he  keeps  his  cattle  are  finer  ! "  Whereupon 
the  Raja,  instead  of  knocking  her  down  and  kicking  her,  like  a 
good  pattern  husband,  threw  his  dagger  at  her — it  struck  her  in  the 
hip  and  there  remained.  The  excellent  missionary  who  tells  the 
story  remarks,  "  The  Prince  may  have  been  a  little  violent,  but 
his  haughty  wife  deserved  correction,  for  neither  in  her  father's 
palace,  which  is  still  standing,  nor  in  the  whole  town  of  Tanjore, 
is  there  a  hall  to  compare  with  his." 

At  the  entrance  to  the  Palace,  part  of  which,  called  West- 
minster Hall  among  the  European  colonists,  is  about  to  be 
converted  into  public  offices,  the  Prince  was  received  by  the 
Trustees  of  the  Temple  and  by  a  large  body  of  Zemindars. 
There  was  a  guard  of  honor,  and  band  and  colors  of  the  iQth 
Madras  Native  Infantry  outside.  It  need  not  be  said  that  the 
roads  and  streets  through  which  he  passed  on  his  way  from  the 
Collector's  house  were  crowded,  and  that  the  numbers  at  the 
Palace  were  prodigious,  but  even  these  did  not  prepare  us  for 
the  aspect  of  the  ancient  Hall  of  Audience  which  presented  a 
compact  mass  of  turbaned  heads.  Although  there  was  a  throne- 
like  silver  chair  placed  for  him  on  an  elevated  dais,  the  Prince 
stood  while  the  address  was  being  read  in  very  excellent  English 
by  S.  Subramania  Tyen,  Bachelor  of  Law  and  B.  A.  Vakil,  of  the 
High  Court  of  Madras,  Municipal  Commissioner,  and  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Great  Temple.  Having  delivered  his  reply, 
which  elicited  great  applause,  his  Royal  Highness  proceeded  to 
examine  the  handsome  presents  which  were  offered  to  him  by 
the  people  and  the  citizens  of  Madura,  and  was  then  conducted 
round  the  Palace.  In  one  of  the  apartments  the  Prince  had  an 
interview  with  the  widowed  representative  of  the  Chiefs  of 
Shivagunga,  one  of  whom  inflicted  a  severe  defeat  upon  our 
forces  in  times  past ;  a  most  charming  old  lady,  who  had  en- 
treated the  favor  so  persistently  that  it  could  not  be  denied  to 


2/6  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

her.  She  had,  it  appeared,  been  engaged  in  a  long  litigation 
with  the  Indian  Government,  which  had  been  finally  decided  in 
her  favor  on  an  appeal  to  the  Committee  of  Privy  Council,  and 
this  decision  the  Ranee  insisted  on  accepting  as  the  act  of  the 
Queen.  "  It  was  the  Empress  who  had  done  her  justice,  and 
she  wanted  to  thank  her  son  ; "  and  so  she  brought  all  the 
treasures  of  her  house,  and  her  own  son  and  heir,  "  to  express 
what  she  felt,  and  to  offer  everything  she  had  to  the  Shahzadah." 
I  have  seldom  seen  anything  more  touching,  on  or  off  the  stage, 
than  her  gesture  and  action  when,  thanking  the  Prince,  she  took 
her  son's  hand,  and  placed  it  between  her  own,  as  if  in  supplica- 
tion, that  the  Prince  might  take  it.  Thence  the  Prince  went  to 
see  the  edifice,  of  which  Trimal  Naik's  palace  is  but  a  portico—- 
the  shrine  of  Linga  Sunadara  ("the  beautiful  Linga"),  said  to 
be  founded  by  Raja  Kala  Shekaya  Pandaya  between  the  fifth 
and  sixth  centmies.  The  towers  are  certainly  much  more  recent, 
and  were  probably  built  by  the  last  of  the  Pandayan  Kings 
between  A.  D.  1450  and  A.  D.  1500. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  Temple  of  Minakshee,  the  "  fish-eyed  " 
Goddess,  Pa'rvati  (who  was  the  wife  cf  Shiva),  the  Prince  was 
received  by  the  chief  priests,  and  by  a  crowd  of  inferior  eccle- 
siastics, if  so  they  may  be  called,  who  presented  an  address.  As 
he,  preceded  by  the  guardians  and  a  band  of  dancing  girls  of 
the  Temple,  passed  underneath  the  Gopura,  showers  of  what 
looked  like  gold-dust  were  let  fall  by  unsean  hands  from  the 
roof.  He  was  covered  with  a  State  shawl.  The  nautch  girls 
scattered  flowers  before  him,  fillets  of  gold  and  silver  tinsel  were 
placed  on  his  brow  and  arms,  richly-scented  garlands  were 
brought  in  baskets  and  were  passed  over  his  shoulders.  The 
suite  were  decorated  in  like  manner — Canon  Duckworth  not 
escaping,  and  reminding  one  of  the  expression  of  Bishop  Heber 
on  a  similar  occasion,  that  "  he  resembled  a  sacrifice  rather  than 
a  priest." 

The  Temple  is  a  rectangle,  with  sides  730  feet  and  830  feet 
long,  and  covers  twenty  acres  of  ground.  A  hall  of  985  sculp- 
tured columns  surrounded  by  arcades ;  grand  gateways,  porticos, 


THE    GREAT   TEMPLE.  2/7 

shrines  ;  mysterious  passages ;  monster  idols,  one,  "  the  Belly 
God,"  with  many  worshippers  ;  fearful  faces  which  glared  from 
stony  eyes  ;  gliding  priests  ;  oppressive  odors ;  the  recess,  spe- 
cially illuminated,  in  which  dwelt  the  deity  Minakshee,  of  which 
— favor  almost  without  precedent — the  Prince  and  followers  were 
vouchsafed  a  glimpse — it  was  all  very  strange  and  curious,  but 
somehow  impressed  one  with  a  feeling  of  deep  melancholy. 

The  shrine,  which  cost  7o,ooo/.,  is  surrounded  by  pillars,  on 
which  are  carved  the  gods  and  goddesses  of  the  Hindoo  mythol- 
ogy. -It  is  covered  with  a  stone  canopy,  from  the  corners  of 
which  are  chains  of  three  links  carved  out  of  the  solid  block 
hanging  from  the  stone,  of  which  they  formed  part.  The  dome 
over  the  shrine,  which  has  cost  75oo/.  already,  and  will  need  a 
further  outlay  of  2500^,  is  of  copper  gilt. 

The  Tank  of  the  Golden  Lotus, — the  sacred  bench  presented 
by  Shiva  himself  for  the  use  of  the  Collegiate  Synod,  which 
would  be  invaluable  to  the  Civil  Service  Commissioners, — the 
Golden  Dome,  &c.,  were  all  inspected.  Great  quantities  of  the 
manufactures  of  stuffs,  for  which  Madura  is  still  famous,  were 
laid  out  in  one  of  the  chapels.  Having  examined  the  Temple 
minutely,  at  10  A.  M.  the  Prince  was  driven  to  the  Railway,  where 
breakfast  was  laid  under  a  very  fine  pandal  specially  built  for  the 
occasion.  The  Tondiman  Raja  offered  elephants'  tusks,  arms, 
and  various  other  presents.  The  inhabitants  of  Madura  present- 
ed models  of  the  great  Temple  and  of  articles  used  in  the  wor- 
ship of  their  gods;  a  gold  casket  of  very  fine  workmanship; 
specimens  of  the  manufacture  of  the  place  in  brass  and  in  various 
colored  stuffs  and  kerchiefs.  The  Ranee  of  Shivagunga,  the 
interesting  lady  who  was  so  exceedingly  gratified  at  her  interview 
with  the  Prince,  presented  boomerangs  of  steel  inlaid  with  silver 
and  with  gold  mountings,  showing  that  the  use  of  the  boomerang 
is  not  confined  to  Australia  ;  stone  images,  ivory  carvings,  betel- 
nut-crackers  ;  an  ingenious  puzzle-padlock  in  a  case,  with  a  dag- 
ger inside  it ;  and  a  sword  so  finely  tempered  that  it  could  be 
worn  as  a  belt,  which  had  a  history  of  its  own.  It  belonged  to 
the  Poligar  Catabomna  Naik,  who  completely  defeated  the  British 


2/8  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

forces  before  his  fort  at  Pangalan  Kurichi,  in  Tinnevelly,  in  1801. 
The  revenge  we  took  was  equally  complete.  It  certainly  does 
not  say  much  for  the  magnanimity  of  our  conduct  to  a  brave  foe. 
The  fort  was  carried  by  assault,  and  razed  to  the  ground.  The 
town  shared  the  same  fate.  The  sites  of  both  were  ploughed  up 
and  sown  with  salt,  and  the  Chief,  who  was  taken  fighting  in  the 
fort,  was  hanged. 

When  the  Prince  stepped  into  the  rail  way  carriage  to  continue 
his  journey,  the  natives  renewed  their  curious  clapping  of  the 
hands  and  shrill  joyous  cries.  At  Dindigal,  a  town  of  13,000  in- 
habitants, the  name  of  which  often  occurs  in  the  history  of  Tip- 
poo's  wars,  the  Prince  alighted  from  his  carriage  and  walked  on 
the  platform  to  admire  the  decorations.  The  fine  old  Fort,  dis- 
mantled and  in  ruins,  could  be  discerned  on  the  commanding 
site  outside  the  town  which  rendered  it  so  important.  Trichi- 
nopoly,  82  miles  from  Madura,  and  198  miles  from  Madras,  the 
chief  and  military  station  of  Southern  India,  was  reached  at  2.30 
p.  M.  The  address,  pandals,  flowers,  triumphal  arches,  guards  of 
honor,  officials  in  uniform,  streets  decorated  with  extraordinary 
richness  and  taste,  were  ready  for  the  Prince.  There  were  two 
companies  of  H.  M.  Sqih,  one  battery  of  artillery,  and  three  regi- 
ments of  Native  infantry  on  duty  in  addition  to  the  Police.  Here 
there  were  official  presentations  ;  and  when  these  were  over,  the 
Prince  drove  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Webster,  where  a  pandal,  deco- 
rated in  the  Native  fashion,  which  cost  nearly  iooo/.,  had  been 
erected  for  lunch  and  dinner.  After  lunch  the  Prince,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Robinson  and  the  authorities  of  Trichinopoly,  &c., 
drove  through  the  principal  streets,  crossing  the  Cavery  by  a  fine 
bridge  to  visit  the  famous  Temple  of  Seringham,  which  is  built  on 
an  island  formed  by  two  arms  of  that  river.  There  he  was  received 
by  the  priests,  guardians,  and  attendants,  and  conducted  into  the 
interior.  The  natives  outside  sat  on  housetops,  walls,  in  trees, 
on  the  ground,  as  close  as  they  could  pack,  and,  as  is  generally 
the  case  in  the  vicinity  of  the  religious  establishments,  were 
rather  morose  of  aspect. 

The  Great  Temple  is  a  vast,  bewildering  mass  of  gate  towers, 


THE    GREAT    TEMPLE. 

enclosures,  courts,  terraces,  and  halls,  which  the  eye  cannot  take 
in  from  any  point,  and  which  it  is  necessary  to  examine  in  detail, 
and  therefore  to  see  at  a  disadvantage.  One  of  the  halls  which 
the  Prince  examined — 450  feet  long  by  130  feet  broad — contains 
no  less  than  one  thousand  columns  of  granite  !  They  are,  how- 
ever, except  in  one  place  where  the  roof  is  a  little  elevated,  not 
more  than  10  feet  or  12  feet  high,  and  are  necessarily  so  closely 
packed  that  there  is  little  space  between,  and  no  vista.  But  then 
observe  that  each  consists  of  one  block,  carved  most  elaborately 
with  images  of  deities,  and  the  like,  from  top  to  bottom !  The 
effect  can  only  be  compared  to  something  described  in  one  of  his 
dreams  by  De  Quincey.  The  gateways,  pierced  in  the  immense 
piles  of  architecture  called  Gopuras,  which  surmount  them  to  a 
great  height,  lead  into  a  labyrinth  of  courts,  the  whole  surround- 
ed by  a  wall  2900  feet  long  by  2500  feet  broad.  Some  of. the 
gateways  have  jambs  of  granite  slabs  40  feet  high,  the  slabs  which 
form  the  roof  of  the  gateway  to  the  north  are  24  feet  long.  These 
Dravidian  architects  had  certainly  immense  skill  in  details,  but 
small  knowledge  of  general  effect,  and  there  is  no  common  pur- 
pose aimed  at  in  their  designs.  The  views  of  the  numerous  gate- 
ways, of  which  there  are  more  than  a  dozen,  from  the  terraced 
roofs,  and  the  imbroglio  of  walls  and  curious  roofs  and  outlines, 
were,  nevertheless,  very  striking.  It  was  intended,  Mr.  Fergus- 
son  says,  to  have  run  up  the  pyramidal  tower  over  the  main  en- 
trance to  the  height  of  300  feet.  The  same  admirable  authority 
tells  us  that  the  whole  of  the  Temple  dates  within  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  that  the  building  was  stopped  by  the  French,  who 
seized  upon  it  and  turned  it  into  a  fortress  during  the  struggle 
with  us. 

Trichinopoly  was  the  central  point  of  the  struggle  between 
the  French  and  English  for  the  sovereignty  of  Southern  India  ; 
but  long  before  that,  its  position  made  it  an  object  of  immense 
importance  to  all  the  great  Chiefs  who  were  contending  for 
supremacy.  In  the  old  times  of  Mohammedan  rule  the  Governor 
of  Arcot  was  wont  to  send  round  to  the  tributary  States  a  slipper, 
supposed  to  belong  to  the  Great  Mogul,  which  the  vassal  was  to 


28O  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

meet  at  the  border  of  his  territory,  in  order  that  it  might  be  es- 
corted in  state  to  his  capital ;  but  Ranga  Kismi,  Raja  of  Trichi- 
nopoly,  disliking  such  an  admission  of  inferiority,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  fearing  to  resist  compliance  with  the  custom,  resorted 
to  excuses  and  delays,  and  inveigled  the  carriers  of  the  sacred 
slipper  stage  after  stage  from  borders  of  his  dominions  to  his 
palace-gate.  When  there,  the  King  desired  them  to  throw  the 
slipper  on  the  floor,  which  they  did  ;  whereupon  the  King,  thrust- 
ing his  foot  into  it,  exclaimed,  "  Does  your  master  think  I  have 
only  one  leg  ?  Go  back  and  bring  me  the  other  slipper."  They 
did  come  back,  but  not  until  after  the  King's  death  ;  and  they 
returned  as  conquerors. 

There  are  few  miles  of  this  district  which  have  not  souvenirs 
of  the  stirring  times  when  MM.  Bussy,  Lally  de  Tollendal,  and 
Clive  fought  it  out  for  the  mastery  of  the  country.  On  our  way 
we  were  shown  where  the  latter  saved  himself  from  capture  by 
presence  of  mind — where  he  caused  a  large  force .  to  surrender 
by  a  ruse — and  so  on.  On  his  return  to  Trichinopoly,  the  Prince 
visited  the  old  Palace  of  the  Nawabs  of  the  Carnatic,  very  interest- 
ing and  curious,  now  about  to  be  turned  into  public  offices.  An 
address  from  the  inhabitants  was  read  by  a  Native  barrister,  and 
the  principal  Zemindars  and  people  were  presented,  or,  as  Mr. 
Robinson  says,  "  were  pointed  out "  to  the  Prince.  The  depu- 
tation from  Tanjore  was  introduced  with  an  address  and  a  finely 
worked  silver  and  gold  casket.  The  members  of  the  deputation, 
and  several  of  the  Tanjore  magnates,  were  presented  by  Mr. 
Thomas,  Collector.  From  this — strange  scene  for  the  reception 
of  addresses  by  a  Prince  of  ''Vales — the  cortege  was  escorted  to 
the  gate  of  the  Main  Guard  of  the  ancient  Fortress,  so  many  times 
vivid  with  musketry  and  crowned  with  anxious  faces.  There  was 
a  kind  of  Grand  Stand  for  the  Prince,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and 
Chiefs,  that  they  might  enjoy  the  fireworks  and  the  grand  sight 
— the  lighting  of  the  Rock.  However,  the  sun  had  not  yet  set, 
and  the  effect  of  the  illuminations  was  for  some  time  kept  in 
abeyance  by  that  very  potent  rivalry.  The  scene  was  very 
animated — prodigious  multitudes,  a  large  tank  with  boats  belows 


ROCK    OF   TRICHINOPOLY.  28 1 

dive's  house  at  the  opposite  side,  and  above  all,  the  vast  pyramid 
-  the  Rock  of  Trichinopoly  —  crested  with  the  Temple  of 
Ganesa,  whose  festivals  were  attended  by  thousands  of  pilgrims. 
Not  very  long  ago  a  panic  occurred  at  one  of  these  meetings,  and 
before  it  could  be  allayed,  upwards  of  500  persons  were  precipi- 
tated down  the  sheer  precipice  over  the  granite  steps,  or  tram- 
pled to  death. 

When  the  sun  went  down  the  illuminations  began  to  tell  their 
story,  and  very  fine  it  was.  The  circular  boats  on  the  tank, 
miniature  PopofTkas  discharged  rockets  and  water  serpents — the 
sides  of  the  tank  blazed  with  colored  fires  and  the  lines  of  the 
houses  were  marked  by  ribands  of  flameo  These  lighted  up  a 
multitude  of  faces  and  colors  such  as  one  can  see  nowhere  else. 
Then,  just  as  the  vast  rock  commenced  to  glow  with  the  most 
original  pyrotechnic  devices  we  have  yet  seen,  out  sailed  the  moon. 
The  winding  stairs  and  ascent,  as  well  as  the  Temple,  were 
illuminated  at  the  outset ;  but  from  the  summit  there  were  pres- 
ently pouring  lava-like  floods,  now  blue,  now  orange,  now  green, 
from  some  overwelling  fountain,  casing  the  sides  of  the  great 
mass,  far  higher  and  larger  than  that  of  Edinburgh,  in  sheets  of 
iridescent  flame.  The  Prince  expressed  to  Mr.  Patlabhirain 
Pillay  his  great  admiration  of  the  effect.  At  8  P.  M.  dinner  of  50 
covers  was  served  in  the  pandal,  to  which  the  Brigadier-General, 
Commanding  officers,  and  military  and  civil  authorities  were 
invited  ;  and  there  was  a  reception  of  the  ladies  of  the  Station  at 
9  P.  M.,  which  ended  in  a  pleasant  little  dance,  not  prolonged 
after  midnight.  Then  a  dispersal  to  quarters,  and  exercitations 
of  temper  in  finding  them  and  arousing  the  sleeping  and  tired 
domestics.  Dr.  Fayrer  and  I  owe  much  to  the  kindness  and 
hospitality  of  Major  and  Mrs.  Henderson,  who  caused  us  to  for- 
get how  far  we  were  from  home.  Homo  homini  lupus — they  say. 
In  India  every  one  is  friend  and  host  to  the  stranger.  On  the 
way  home  we  observed  that  the  roads  were  clos3ly  patrolled,  and 
were  challenged  several  times  by  zealous  guards. 

It  is  with  surprise  one  hears  of  the  precautions  taken  for  his 
security  wherever  the  Prince  rests,  for  there  is  no  outward  sign 


282 


THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 


of  them.  As  you  approach  the  spot  where  the  Royal  Standard 
indicates  Headquarters,  you  see  sentries  on  duty,  perhaps  a  few 
native  policemen  at  the  corners  of  the  avenues,  or  in  front  or 
rear  of  the  house ;  but  they  do  their  work  so  unostentatiously, 
that  it  is  only  by  a  close  examination  of  the  outposts  one  can 
form  an  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  force  employed.  There  are 
at  this  moment  762  native  policemen  engaged  in  guarding  the 
Prince's  headquarters. 

December  12. — There  was    a  heavenly  repose  in   the   early 
part  of  the  day.     Divine  service  in  the  drawing-room  at  head- 


LL 


BARGAINING   FOR   BANGLES. 

quarters  at  1 1  A.  M.  Then  came  irruptions  of  workers  in  gold 
and  silver,  in  brass  and  ebony,  and  in  all  the  things  for  which 
Trichinopoly  is  famous.  There  was  no  more  peace,  but  there 
was  much  bargaining  for  bangles  and  jewelry.  Packing  up 
began  at  i  P.  M.,  and  at  4  P,  M.  the  Prince  was  starting,  under  the 


ARRIVAL    AT    MADRAS.  283 

usual  military  honors,  from  the  house  of  the  Collector  for  the 
RaiKvay  Station,  where  he  was  received  as  on  the  day  of  his 
arrival.  There  were  loud  cheers  raised  as  the  train  moved  away, 
and  the  ladies  were  particularly  enthusiastic,  for  that  little  dance 
had  quite  gained  their  hearts.  At  Caroor,  on  the  junction  of  the 
Amavally  and  the  Cavery,  the  Prince  addressed  a  few  words  to 
the  Native  officials,  who  had  prepared  the  platform  very  prettily. 
The  line  runs  along  the  valley  of  the  Cavery  to  the  Erode  junc- 
tion (S.  I.  R.  and  M.  R.  Railway),  where  the  Collector  and  district 
officers  of  Coimbatore,  band, -colors,  and  guard  of  honor  of  H. 
M.  43d  Regiment  were  in  attendance.  Dinner  was  served  at 
8.15  P.  M.  Mr.  Wedderburn  and  Colonel  Wilkinson  were  invited 
to  the  Royal  table.  The  journey  was  resumed  soon  after  10  p.  M. 

December  13. — Rattle  and  rumble  all  night  long,  with  the 
exception  of  two  stoppages  from  heated  axles  and  two  distressful 
changes  of  carriages.  It  comes  quite  naturally  by  this  time  to 
one  to  sleep  in  a  railway  carriage.  At  7  A.  M.  the  train,  then 
nearly  an  hour  behind  time,  pulled  up  at  Perambore,  where  very 
welcome  tea  and  coffee  were  served  on  the  platform.  Instead  of 
6.30  A.  M.,  it  was  8.10  A.  M.  before  the  train  stopped  at  Roypooram, 
outside  Madras,  not  quite  at  the  right  place,  overshooting  the 
position  on  the  platform  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  who,  with 
his  staff,  the  civil  and  military  officers,  the  municipal  body  and 
dignitaries  of  the  Presidency,  the  Rajas  of  Cochin,  Travancore, 
Arcot,  Vizianagram,  and  others,  had  been  long  waiting. 

When  the  usual  salutations  had  been  exchanged,  and  the 
presentations  customary  on  such  occasions  had  been  made,  the 
state  procession  set  out  from  Roypooram  Station  to  Government 
House,  passing  through  the  streets  of  the  native  town,  and  the 
wide  avenue-like  throughfares  which  divide  the  immense  com- 
pounds of  the  European  quarter  of  Madras. 

The  golden  umbrella  held  over  the  Prince's  head  was  an  ex- 
cellent thought,  and  relieved  many  doubting  minds.  It  is  not 
always  easy  even  for  those  familiar  with  European  usages  to 
make  out  the  principal  person  in  a  public  procession.  The 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  whose  attention  to  details  caused  the 


284  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

whole  Madras  visit  to  be  so  successful,  seized  on  the  Oriental 
idea  of  having  an  umbrella  as  a  special  means  of  identifying  the 
Prince,  and  thereby  gratified  thousands  of  people.  "  I  am  not 
sure  if  I  have  seen  him  after  all,"  exclaimed  a  Chief  at  Bombay, 
"  and  I  have  travelled  600  miles  merely  to  get  a  look  at  the 
Shahzadah !  "  Another  Chief  said  to  the  Minister  of  a  Native 
State,  "  Think  what  a  way  I  have  come  to  see  the  Prince ! — 
think  what  distances  we  have  journeyed,  and  yet  we  are  only 
permitted  to  gaze  on  his  face  for  a  moment !  "  "  Very  true," 
replied  the  Minister,  "  but  just  think  what  a  way  the  Prince  has 
come  to  see  you  !  "  The  Wallahjah  bridge  presented  an  ex- 
ceedingly interesting  appearance.  No  less  than  126  different 
schools  and  colleges,  with  a  total  of  12,500  students  and  boys 
and  girls,  including  the  teachers,  were  ranged  on  both  sides  of 
the  elevated  stands,  each  school  with  its  distinctive  banners, 
the  pupils  also  wearing  badges  and  dressed  all  in  their  best, 
some  singing,  some  non-singing,  some  mixed-singing.  On  the 
right,  first  three  Church  Schools,  the  Harris  School  for  the  high- 
er classes  of  Mohammedans  ;  the  Roman  Catholic  Schools  ; 
Doveton  College,  for  the  higher  classes  of  Eurasians  ;  Convent 
Schools  ;  Free  Church  Schools ;  Scottish  Orphanage  ;  the  Lon- 
don Mission  Schools ;  the  Bishop's  Schools ;  the  Church  Mis- 
sion Schools  for  £he  Hindoo  girls  and  Hindoo  boys,  among 
which  must  not  be  forgotten  the  Rev.  T.  Satthianaden's  estab- 
lishments. On  the  left,  University  Graduates ;  Presidency 
Colleges  j  Engineering  College  ;  Medical  College  j  School  of 
Arts  ;  Government  Normal  School ;  the  Government  Madrissa 
School  for  Mohammedans  alone ;  various  Church  and  Asylum 
Schools  ;  the  Director  of  Music  with  his  trained  choir  ;  Christ 
Church  boys ;  Military  Female  Orphan  Asylum ;  Army  girls 
and  boys  ;  the  Eurasian  girls  of  the  highest  classes  of  the 
Doveton  Schools  ;  Wesleyan  Schools  ;  the  three  schools  of  the 
Raja  of  Vizianagram  ;  Female  Normal  Schools ;  Church  and 
Lutheran  Missions  ;  Church  of  Scotland  ;  Wesleyan  ;  Hindoo 
Proprietary,  and  two  other  schools  under  pure  native  manage- 
ment, and  the  school  of  Dr.  Savarimuttu.  As  the  golden  um- 


THE    MADRAS    CHIEFS.  285 

brella  came  in  sight  of  the  Raleigh,  which  had  just  anchored 
outside,  she  saluted  with  fine  effect  Government  House  was 
reached  at  9  A.  M.  The  ladies  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham's 
family,  and  the  members  of  his  staff  and  suite,  were  presented 
to  the  Prince,  who.  introduced  his  officers  and  suite  to  the  Gov- 
ernor. Breakfast  was  served  in  the  fine  saloon  on  the  first-floor. 
The  Prince,  having  put  on  full  uniform,  orders,  &c.,  proceeded 
to  the  Audience  Chamber  to  receive  the  private  visits  of  the 
Chiefs,  which  were  conducted  in  the  same  way  as  those  paid  at 
Bombay,  so  that  no  detailed  account  of  them  is  necessary.  Ma- 
dras had  few  great  Rajas  to  summon,  but  those  she  had  were  of 
an  interesting  type. 

The  name  and  title  of  the  Maharaja  of  Travancore  are  Sri 
Padmanabha  Dasa  Vanjee  Bala  Rama  Varma  Kulashekara 
Kiritapati  Munnee  Sultan  Maharaj,  Raja  Rama,  Raja  Bahadoor 
and  Lhamsher  Jung,  K.  G.  C.  S.  I.  His  Highness  is  of  the 
Kshatryia  caste,  forty-four  years  of  age  (looks  nearly  sixty)  ;  in 
addition  to  Mahratta,  Tamil,  Hindustani,  and  Telugu,  writes 
and  speaks  English  with  fluency ;  is  a  good  Sanscrit  scholar, 
and  much  given  to  literary  discussion  with  pundits  ;  is  fond  of 
music,  in  which  he  excels  ;  is  an  admirable  man  of  business, 
very  punctual  and  exact ;  fond  of  science,  and  profoundly  attach- 
ed to  his  own  faith.  He  has  a  stammer  in  his  speech  at  times, 
but  his  manners  are  easy  and  agreeable,  and  his  appearance  is 
dignified,  as  becomes  one  who  claims  an  ancestry  that  dates 
from  600  A.  D.  The  State  covers  an  area  of  6653  square  miles, 
and  contains  a  population  of  2,310,000  souls.  The  annual 
subsidy  to  the  British  Government,  fixed  by  Treaty,  is  8i,ooo/. 
per  annum.  It  is  a  model  Native  State,  and  Sheshia  Sastry, 
the  present  Dewan,  a  schoolfellow  of  Sir  Madhava  Rao,  is  a 
man  of  great  intelligence  and  ability.  The  Prince  gratified  the 
Raja,  who  came  in  great  state,  by  his  special  attention,  and  by 
the  expression  of  regret  at  his  inability  to  visit  his  State  and 
become  his  guest  at  Trivandrum.  The  Sirdars  of  each  of  the 
Chiefs  were  presented,  and  offered  nuzzurs  in  the  usual  man- 
ner. 


286  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

His  Highness  the  Raja  of  Cochin  is  a  tall  stout  man  of  forty. 
He  is  of  the  Kshatryia  caste,  and  is  descended  from  a  Viceroy 
of  the  Chola  Kings,  who  ruled  in  the  ninth  century.  He  does 
not  speak  English,  but  he  is  a  thorough  Sanscrit  scholar,  and  is 
well  acquainted  with  Native  literature.  The  State,  which  con- 
tains a  population  of  600,000,  and  covers  an  area  of  1360  square 
miles,  is  in  subsidiary  alliance  with  the  British  Government, 
and  pays  a  tribute  of  2o,ooo/  a  year. 

The  Prince  of  Arcot  was  also  received.  There  was  a  time 
when  the  Nawab  of  the  Carnatic  was  a  personage  of  no  small 
power.  The  present  inheritor  of  that  title,  Azim  Jah  Bahadoor, 
and  his  father,  Ameer  Ood-Dowlah  Bahadoor,  gained  the  re- 
spect and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  they  were  brought  in  contact. 
The  family  are  now  living  in  Madras,  fallen  from  their  high  es- 
tate, as  far  as  temporal  position  and  power  are  concerned,  but 
certainly  secure  in  the  ownership  Of  that  which  they  have  left, 
and  in  the  regard  of  those  around  them,  native  and  European. 
To  show  that  they  were  once  of  some  consideration,  a  small 
pamphlet  of  official  and  other  papers  relative  to  their  genealogy, 
&c.,  has  been  published, which  included  such  matters  as  notes  from 
former  Governors,  asking  them  to  come  to  breakfast,  or  acknowl- 
edging a  supply  of  dishes  from  their  table.  Ameer  Ood-Dowlah, 
in  a  poem  addressed  to  the  Queen,  and  sent  through  the  hands 
of  Sir  Charles  Trevelyan  in  June,  1860,  said  of  himself : 
"Though  I  bear  that  name  which  means  *  Baron  of  wealth,'  yet 
am  I  a  suppliant  for  your  favor."  Alluding  to  the  Proclamation 
of  1858,  he  congratulated  her  Majesty  on  having  assumed  the 
administration  of  the  Indian  Empire,  and  ended  with  the  words  : 
"  Through  the  favor  of  the  Most  Holy  Jesus  Christ,  may  this 
assumption  of  rule  prove  auspicious  to  you  !  May  your  dominions 
last  till  the  resurrection  !  " 

More  conspicuous  than  any  of  these  Chiefs  by  his  fine  pres- 
ence and  face  is  the  Raja  of  Vizianagram,  who  is,  however,  not 
as  yet  entitled  to  pay  a  separate  visit  to  the  Prince,  and  is  still 
less  entitled  to  receive  one,  but  who  will  probably,  on  account  of 
his  character,  connections,  influence,  and  charities,  be  raised  in' 


VIZIANAGRAM.  28/ 

the  native  peerage,  if  we  may  use  the  phrase,  by  a  discerning 
Government.  He  speaks  English  as  well  as  if  he  had  been  born 
and  bred  in  the  land,  although  he  has  never  left  India,  and  for 
all  his  culture  and  enlightenment  he  is  too  good  a  Hindoo  to 
make  it  probable  that  he  will  come  to  England  unless  the  Brah- 
mins are  unusually  liberal.  He  came  frequently  to  see  Sir  Bar- 
tie  Frere.  As  I  was  quartered  in  the  same  house,  I  had  frequent 
occasions  of  speaking  to  him,  and  could  not  but  be  interested  in 
his  conversation,  which  let  in  a  flood  of  light  on  the  way  in 
which  natives  look  at  things  which  to  us  present  aspects  utterly 
dissimilar.  The  subscriptions  and  useful  works  to  which  he 
makes  such  great  contributions  are  regarded  by  him  as  duties 
for  which  he  expects  no  return  or  consideration  hereafter.  His 
religion  teaches  him,  he  says,  to  do  these  things,  and  there  is 
no  merit  in  doing  his  duty,  but  the  neglect  of  it  would  be  a  great 
offence.  However,  if  a  man  does  not  feel  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
give  he  cannot  be  blamed  for  want  of  charity.  The  Raja  in- 
dulges in  a  luxury  which  was  once  common  enough  among  the 
great  in  Christian  Europe,  he  keeps  an  astrologer ;  and  so  one 
morning,  as  he  was  speaking  of  the  Prince's  arrival  at  Calcutta, 
he  exclaimed  with  a  sigh,  "  I  shall  not  be  there  to  see  his  Royal 
Highness  land  !  "  "  Why,  may  I  ask  ?  There  is  plenty  of  time 
for  you  to  go  round  by  land  and  meet  him.  The  Duke  of  Suther- 
land intends  doing  so."  "Well,"  replied  the  Raja  very  serious- 
ly, u  I  have  consulted  the  stars,  and  there  will  be  no  favorable 
day  for  beginning  my  journey  till  the  2ist,  and  then  I  should  be 
too  late,  but  I  will  arrive  in  Calcutta  in  time  for  some  of  the 
festivities."  (The  intention  of  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  to  go 
round  by  land  was  formed  some  time  ago.  He  wants  to  see  as 
much  of  the  country  as  possible,  and  very  naturally  objects  to 
the  loss  of  time,  as  far  as  such  an  object  is  concerned,  which 
occurs  in  a  voyage  by  sea.) 

A  proof  of  the  desire  of  the  Chiefs  to  stand  well  with  their 
English  friends,  and  to  impress  them  with  a  proper  idea  of  their 
dignity,  is  afforded  by  the  issue  of  little  memoirs  relating  to 
various  Rajas  who  come  to  pay  their  homage  .and  respect  to  the 


288  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Prince.  The  Maharaja  of  Vizianagram,  K.C.S.I.,  claims  descent 
from  the  Ranas  of  Oodeypoor,  the  most  illustrious  Rajpoot 
family  in  India,  whose  ancestors  conquered  Oudh  at  a  very  re- 
mote period,  and  one  of  whose  more  recent  progenitors,  at  the 
modest  date  of  519  A.  D.,  conquered  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
present  Madras  Presidency,  and  established  a  dynasty  which 
reigned  over  the  land  for  921  years.  A  Chief  of  Vizianagram 
built  the  present  fort  in  1712,  and  had  great  power  under  Arung- 
zebe.  In  1756,  when  M.  Bussy  moved  into  the  Circars,  the 
Raja  joined  him  with  10,000  men.  Bussy  and  his  allies  attacked 
a  Poligar,  who  put  to  death  the  women  and  children,  and  fought 
till  he  was  killed  in  the  fort.  His  followers  avenged  his  death 
by  murdering  the  Raja.  Next  day  an  old  man  appeared,  leading 
a  boy  by  the  hand.  "  This  is  the  Poligar's  son,"  said  he  to  M. 
Bussy,  "  whose  life  I  preserved  without  his  father's  consent ;  " 
whereupon  Bussy  made  the  boy,  son  of  the  murdered  man,  the 
Chief.  The  Raja  got  tired  of  the  French,  drove  them  out  of  his 
towns,  and  made  overtures  to  the  English  at  Madras.  Lord 
Clive  sent  Colonel  Ford,  in  September,  1758,  with  a  considerable 
force,  to  aid  the  Chief  on  a  general  buccaneering  expedition,  in 
which  it  was  stipulated  that  plunder  should  be  equally  divided, 
and  that  conquered  countries  should  be  delivered  to  the  Raja, 
who  was  to  collect  the  revenues,  and  to  pay  50,000  rupees  a 
month  towards  the  expenses  of  the  troops.  The  English  obtained 
four  of  the  Circars  as  the  result  of  their  trouble.  The  following 
year  the  Chief  died  without  issue,  and  one  of  his  wives  performed 
suttee.  His  aunt  was  entrusted  with  the  selection  of  an  heir, 
and  chose  the  second  son  of  her  husband's  cousin.  At  this  rate 
a  genealogy  is  very  easity  manufactured.  A  good  deal  of  trouble 
ensued,  and  for  some  time  these  Chiefs  were  under  a  cloud ; 
but  latterly,  thanks  to  the  personal  character  of  the  present 
Maharaja,  the  influence  and  position  of  the  house  have  been  in- 
creased. 

A  Levee  held  by  the  Prince  in  the  Grand  Banqueting  Hall 
at  one  o'clock  was  attended  by  every  European  and  Native  who 
could  obtain  access  or  carriage  to  it.  The  throng  was  very 


GUINDY    RACES.  289 

great,  and  the  doors  were  closed  before  all  the  gentlemen  whose 
names  had  been  received  could  find  their  way  to  the  presence. 

A  State  Banquet  of  fifty  covers,  to  which  the  chief  personages 
of  the  City  and  Presidency  of  Madras  were  invited,  was  given 
by  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  in 
Government  House.  The  Prince  retired  after  a  brief  reception 
in  the  Drawing  Rooms,  and  drove  out  to  Guindy  Park,  the 
country  seat  of  the  Governor,  eight  miles  from  Madras,  to  spend 
to-morrow — the  anniversary  of  his  father's  death — in  seclusion. 
A  few  only  of  His  Royal  Highness'  suite  accompanied  him. 
The  park  is  beautifully  wooded  and  full  of  game.  There  was  no 
intrusion  on  the  Prince's  privacy,  and  the  rest  and  quiet  must 
have  been  very  grateful. 

December  14.  —  There  were  no  public  functions  to-day,  but 
several  of  the  institutions  of  Madras  were  visited  by  those  who 
were  not  at  Guindy,  mainly  under  the  guidance  of  Dr.  Balfour. 
The  native  choultries,  poor-houses  and  places  of  refuge  for  aged 
and  destitute  persons,  were  exceedingly  well  worth  seeing. 
There  were  "  caste  wards,"  and  pariah  or  no-caste  wards, — ref- 
uges for  friendless  boys  and  girls, — a  hospital  for  lepers  (who 
were  terrible  to  behold),  some  endowed  by  the  Government,  and 
some  kept  up  entirely  by  individual  Chiefs.  Thus  I  saw  one 
choultrie  belonging  to  the  Raja  of  Ventnagacherry  ;  another 
was  maintained  by  subscription  ;  the  charities  of  the  Raja  of 
Vizianagram  are  also  conspicuous.  The  Museum  seems  much 
appreciated  by  the  Natives,  and  it  was  very  pleasing  to  observe 
groups — whole  families — going  round  the  rooms,  and  to  hear 
them  expatiating  in  great  varieties  of  speech  on  what  they  saw — 
for  the  voices  of  the  people  in  conversation  generally  are  low 
and  sweet.  But  what  a  Babel  of  languages ! — Uryu,  Tamil, 
Telugu,  Canarese.  Maliar,  Talu.  The  Agri-Horticultural  Gar- 
dens are  delightful,  and  abound  in  forest  and  vegetable  wonders, 
not  to  speak  of  an  attempt  at  a  menagerie. 

December  15. — There  were   races  at  Guindy  Park,  and  the 
Madras  world  was  on  the  road  before  6  A.  M.  I  got  up  at  5  A.  M., 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my  friends  start  for  the  scene, 
13  19 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

under  St.  Thomas'  Mount,  where  tradition  has  it  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  suffered  martyrdom,  and  of  hearing  from  them  all  about 
the  races  when  they  came  back.  These  are  now  as  obsolete  as 
last  year's  Derby ;  but  the  sporting  world  of  Madras  will  long 
remember  the  struggle  in  the  Sandringham  steeple-chase,  when 
Artaxerxes  snatched  the  prize  given  by  the  Maharaja  of  Jeypoor 
from  all  the  cracks,  and  when  the  jockeys  ran  under  the  approv- 
ing eye  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  natives  take  very  kindly 
to  horse-racing,  and  Rajas  gave  the  five  or  six  cups  which  were 
run  for.  The  scenes  on  the  course  were  said  to  have  been  very 
amusing.  Many  of  the  native  spectators  perched  in  trees  ;  there 
were  strange  contrasts  between  the  civilization  of  European 
jockey-caps,  jackets,  breeches,  boots,  and  spurs,  and  the  turn- 
out of  native  aspirants,  or  at  least  of  one  who  rode  a  very  losing 
race  in  a  huge  red  turban,  white  petticoats,  and  parti-colored 
robes ;  between  the  bustle  of  very  small  but  fierce  jockeys,  who 
strode  through  the  crowd  of  long-legged  natives,  and  waved 
them  aside  as  if  they  were  so  many  rushes  ;  and  the  calm  of 
great  Chiefs,  such  as  the  Raja  of  Cochin,  the  Prince  of  Arcot, 
the  Raja  of  Jodhpoor,  who  were  there,  attended  by  numerous 
familiars  in  all  their  bravery.  The  heat  was  strongly  felt  before 
the  sports  terminated.  An  hour  before  noon  the  Prince  returned 
to  Madras. 

At  3  P.  M.  the  Chancellor,  Vice-Chancellor,  and  Fellows  of 
the  University,  among  the  latter  of  whom  were  several  native 
gentlemen,  capped  and  robed,  proceeded  to  Government  House 
to  present  an  address  from  the  Senate  to  the  Prince.  They 
were  received  at  the  entrance  and  conducted  to  the  Audience 
Chamber.  The  Commander-in-Chief,  the  Bishop  of  Madras, 
and  other  ex  qfficio  members  of  the  Senate  were  present.  The 
address,  printed  in  gold  on  vellum,  was  read  by  Mr.  Innes.  It 
gave  a  sketch  of  the  progress  and  labors  of  the  University  since 
its  foundation  in  1857.  There  was  rather  a  despairing  admission 
that  in  the  present  circumstances  of  the  country  the  Senate 
could  not  foresee  the  period  when  learning  would  be  pursued 
for  its  own  sake ;  but  they  were  satisfied  that  the  other  motives 


DEPUTATIONS    AND    ADDRESSES.  2QI 

.  induced  students  to  attend  would  assist  in  advancing  the 
<  bjjcts  of  the  University.  The  Prince  in  his  reply  alluded  to 
the  graduates  who  were  filling  some  of  the  higher  posts  in  the 
public  service,  and  congratulated  the  Senate  on  its  attention  to 
the  scientific  study  of  the  ancient  languages  and  literature  of 
India,  on  its  encouragement  of  pure  science,  and  on  the  impetus 
it  had  given  to  general  education.  After  the  Senate  retired,  a 
deputation  of  the  Freemasons  of  the  Presidency,  the  district 
Grand  Master,  officers  and  members,  presented  an  address,  in 
which  they  expressed  their  satisfaction  at  welcoming  so  distin- 
guished a  member  of  the  body  at  Madras,  and  gave  assurance  that 
the  craft  was  flourishing.  In  reply,  the  Prince  said  he  would 
convey  to  the  brethren  in  England  the  gratifying  information 
that  Freemasonry,  and  with  it  the  practice  of  the  charity  and 
brotherly  feeling  which  bound  the  fraternity  throughout  the 
world,  was  encouraged  in  Madras.  The  Mysore  Commission, 
including  Mr.  Gopauliah,  Head  Sheristadar,  and  Mr.  Ananda 
Rao,  son  of  Sir  Madhava  Rao,  were  introduced,  and  presented 
an  address  expressing  their  regret  that  the  Prince  could  not 
visit  Mysore.  The  Prince,  in  reply,  assured  them  that  he  felt 
very  much  his  inability  to  see  their  country,  or  to  go  to  Banga- 
lore. A  picturesque  deputation  from  Coorg,  headed  by  the 
Assistant-Superintendent,  and  consisting  of  Mr.  Gunputty,  Su- 
badar  of  Mercava,  and  two  gentlemen  in  their  national  costume, 
presented  an  address  an.d  offerings  of  Coorg  knives  and  dresses, 
which  were  received,  and  the  Prince  entered  into  a  short  con- 
versation with  the  members.  A  deputation  from  Coimbatore, 
headed  by  Mr.  Wedderburn,  the  Collector,  Colonel  Wilkieson, 
R.E.,  Venkatachillum  Pillay,  &c.,  also  presented  an  address,  and 
a  handsome  volume  of  views  of  the  places  the  Prince  would 
have  seen  had  he  been  able  to  visit  their  district  as  he  had  in- 
tended. The  Prince,  in  reply,  said  that  though  he  had  been 
disappointed,  he  was  glad  to  think  that  no  risk  of  health  or  life 
had  been  incurred  on  his  account  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
country. 

The  afternoon  was  occupied  in  making  return  visits.    The 


292 


THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 


Prince,  who  wore  the  uniform  of  the  loth  Hussars,  drove  to 
Egmore,  the  residence  of  the  Raja  of  Cochin,  escorted  by 
cavalry  and  attended  by  members  of  his  suite,  at  4.30  p.  M.  The 
formalities  on  such  occasions  do  not  vary.  The  personage  to 


A   NUZZUR   AT    MADRAS. 


be  honored  by  the  Prince  sends  a  deputation  of  his  chief  officers 
to  escort  him  to  the  house,  at  the  entrance  to  which  the  Raja  or 
Nawab  stands  to  receive  his  visitor.  There  is  a  guard  of  honor, 
the  Queen's  colors  and  band,  furnished  by  a  regiment,  in  this 


THE    PRINCESS    OF   TANJORE.  293 

instance  the  i3th  M.  N.  I.,  and  an  artillery  detachment  to  fire  a 
salute.  Then  a  Durbar  and  presentations,  after  which  the 
interchange  of  presents  ;  the  be-garlanding  and  farewell.  Three 
of  the  Princes  of  the  Carnatic  and  Hyder  Jung  escorted  the 
Prince  from  Egmore  to  the  residence  of  the  Prince  of  Arcot  in  a 
street  in  the  native  town  where  there  was  a  guard  of  honor, 
band  and  colors  of  the  37th  M.  N.  L,  a  display  of  the  retainers 
of  the  house,  and  a  band  of  native  musicians.  Among  the 
presents  made  by  the  Prince  of  Arcot  was  a  sword  which  had 
once  belonged  to  the  Nawab  Wallah j ah.  The  third  and  last 
Chief  who  received  a  return  visit  from  his  Royal  Highness  at 
Madras  was  the  Raja  of  Travancore,  whose  offerings  were 
curious  and  valuable. 

The  question  of  return  visits  is  regulated  on  principles  better 
understood  by  European  officials  than  by  Asiatic  nobles ;  but 
the  Prince  endeavored  to  meet  the  wishes  of  native  dignitaries 
as  far  as  possible,  and  strained  a  point  to  save  them  chagrin. 
The  Princess  of  Tanjore  is  a  lady  belonging  to  the  family  of  the 
Sivajee  (who  is  spoken  of  as  a  mere  adventurer;  he  was  a 
member  of  a  very  ancient  family),  and  it  created  irritation  that 
her  salute  of  guns  was  forgotten  in  the  absorption  Xdused  by  the 
Prince's  arrival ;  but  en  revanche,  her  master  of  the  ceremonies 
omitted  to  make  a  formal  request  for  permission  to  visit  the 
Prince.  It  is  understood  that  her  Highness  is  anxious  to  secure 
the  title  of  Raja  for  her  husband,  and  nothing  that  can  be  said, 
or  written,  or  done,  can  prevent  the  people  of  India,  high  and 
low,  supposing  that  the  Prince  possesses  unlimited  power. 
When  the  Princess  was  permitted  to  visit  his  Royal  Highness, 
she  departed  from  the  usages  of  Mahratta  widows,  whose  custom 
it  has  been  to  receive  and  pay  visits  without  the  restrictions 
which  she  considered  necessary.  She  sat  with  the  ladies  of  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham's  family  in  a  room,  part  of  which  was 
screened  off  ;  into  this  compartment  the  Prince  was  introduced. 
He  could  put  out  his  hand  to  be  shaken,  but  he  could  not  see, 
or  it  was  supposed  he  could  not  see,  the  Princess's  face.  She 
grasped  his  hand  very  warmly,  and  expressed  her  pleasure  at 


2Q4  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

the  arrival  of  the  Prince  in  Madras.  Major  Henderson,  who 
acted  as  interpreter,  knowing  the  Princess  could  speak  a  little 
English,  requested  her  to  speak  in  that  language,  whereupon, 
with  a  little  laugh,  she  said,  "  I  am  glad  to  see  my  Royal 
Brother."  Her  Highness  asked  after  "  The  Queen,  my  Royal 
Sister,"  in  right  regal  fashion. 

At  4.30  P.  M.  the  Prince  laid  the  memorial  foundation-stone 
of  the  new  Harbor  works,  which  will  inaugurate  a  great,  and  let 
us  hope  successful,  struggle  with  Nature,  and  form  a  very  visible 
and  permanent  memorial  of  a  visit  to  which  must  be  ascribed 
the  commencement  of  so  many  useful  works.  The  Governor 
and  the  ladies  of  his  family,  the  Members  of  Council,  the  Mili- 
tary and  Civil  authorities  assisted  at  the  ceremony,  which  was 
exceedingly  well-managed.  There  were  bands,  colors,  guard  of 
honor,  troops  to  line  the  approaches,  and  escorts  of  the  Body 
Guard  and  i6th  Lancers.  Beyond  the  benches  on  which  the 
company  were  seated  and  the  upturned  sea  of  faces,  the  great 
army  of  waters  was  seen  hurling  the  crested  heads  of  its 
columns  on  the  beach,  and  the  roar  of  its  artillery  was  heard 
amid  the  smoke  of  the  spray — pregnant  comments  on  the  utility 
of  the  work  to  be  accomplished,  if  significant,  too,  of  the  power 
of  the  forces  to  be  overcome  and  of  the  audacity  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  engineers  explained  the  plans  to  the  Prince,  and 
the  stone  was  lowered  in  its  place  with  all  proper  observance. 
Altogether  it  was  an  impressive  scene  ;  and  the  only  persons 
who  could  have  found  fault  with  it,  had  they  known  the  purport 
of  the  function,  were  the  catamaran  and  massoulah  boatmen, 
who  could  be  seen  from  the  platform  riding  on  the  billows,  and 
justifying  the  mistake  of  the  ancient  traveller,  who  declared  that 
he  beheld  devils  playing  at  single-stick  on  the  coast.  Thence, 
as  it  was  getting  dark,  the  cortege  drove  homewards  ;  but  on  the 
way,  the  Prince  intimated  a  wish  to  see  the  famous  old  Fort  St. 
George,  which  has  played  such  a  part  in  our  eventful  history  in 
India.  It  rained  in  torrents,  and  the  visit  was  rather  a  surprise 
to  the  authorities,  so  that  there  was  more  to  do  than  say  "  Open 
sesame  !  "  at  the  doors.  Any  one  acquainted  with  its  story 


FORT    ST.    GEORGE. 

could  not  find  a  spot  in  the  wide  domains  of  the  Empress  more 
full  of  topics  for  reflection  ;  but  millions  of  Englishmen  seem  to 
think  that  the  Empire  is  like  Topsy,  in  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
and  "  'speckt  it  growed."  Our  romance  of  Indian  history  lies 
concentrated  in  the  days  when  "  furious  Frank  "  and  fiery  Scot 
and  Saxon  fought  and  intrigued  for  the  possession  of  the 
pagoda-tree.  The  keys  of  Pondicherry  and  of  Carnatic  fort- 
resses, cannon  and  arms  belonging  to  Tippoo,  famous  chiefs 
and  ancient  poligars,  each  with  its  tale,  are  stored  in  the  Arse- 
nal, which  seems  well  kept.  Apropos  of  Pondicherry,  let  me 
not  forget  M.  Tillard,  the  Governor  of  the  French  Colonies  in 
India,  Commissary-General  of  Marine,  who  has  come  to  salute 
the  Prince,  attended  by  officers  of  his  suite,  and  has  been  a 
guest  at  the  entertainments  given  in  his  honor  by  the  Governor. 
M.  Tillard,  like  our  friends  at  Goa,  has  his  memories  and  regrets, 
no  doubt ;  but  he  rules  a  prosperous  and  well-ordered  settle- 
ment, and  probably  he  is  personally  much  happier  than  if  he 
had  larger  charges.  But  a  Frenchman  of  to-day  may  be  par- 
doned if  he  feels  indignant  at  the  stupidity  of  his  ancestors,  when 
he  remembers  that  the  fruits  of  the  victory  of  de  la  Bourdonnais, 
the  keys  of  Fort  St.  George,  and  the  possession  of  Madras,  were 
given  back  to  England  by  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle.  The 
Church  is  full  of  interesting  memorials  ;  the  monument  to  Lady 
Hobart,  recently  placed  there,  which  bears  an  inscription,  the 
words  of  which  will  find  echoes  in  the  hearts  of  thousands  here 
who  revere  her  memory,  attracted  the  Prince's  attention. 

There  was  another  State  Banquet  at  Government  House, 
which  was  followed  by  a  reception  and  by  a  very  successful  con- 
cert, at  which  the  Chiefs  of  Travancore,  Vizianagram,  the  Prince 
of  Arcot,  and  other  native  gentlemen  were  present.  The  Gov- 
ernor has  a  very  good  band ;  and  M.  Stradiot,  the  master,  com- 
posed an  "  Ode  of  Welcome  "  to  the  Prince,  which  was  sung 
very  finely  by  the  Madras  Philharmonic  Society.  The  band  ol 
the  Sgth  Regiment  played  some  favorite  pieces. 

December  16. — In  addition  to  the  sentries  of  Government 
House  in  front,  and  the  usual  gathering  of  scarlet-coated  and 


296  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*.  TOUR. 

turbaned  servants,  there  were  two  lads,  with  high  head-dresses  of 
tinsel,  and  robes  of  bright  red  and  gold,  with  bows  and  arrows  in 
their  hands.  Their  faces  were  decorated  with  unusual  caste 
markings,  and  with  painted  mustaches.  Their  dresses  resem- 
bled those  in  which  the  Incas  are  depicted  in  Kingston's  book, 
and  there  was  a  vague  Mexican  impression  produced  by  the  char- 
acter of  the  headgear  and  robes.  Mr.  Minchin  told  me  these 
boys  belonged  to  a  very  ancient  race  called  Uryas,  celebrated  as 
warriors  in  former  days.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  young  people, 
when  their  tasks  are  done  in  the  evening,  to  play  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  villagers  some  part  of  the  great  Epic  "  Ramayanam," 
by  Valuniki,  which  gives  the  history  of  the  war  between  Rama 
and  Ravana,  the  Demon  King.  Rama,  exiled  by  his  father,  is 
followed  to  his  asylum  in  the  woods  by  Sita,  his  wife,  and  Lech- 
man,  his  brother.  Ravana,  King  of  Lanka  (Ceylon),  a  land  of 
demons,  seizes  Sita,  and  carries  her  off,  but  Rama  and  Lechman 
rescue  her,  and  destroy  the  demons  and  their  king.  Sita  was 
represented  by  a  figure  of  the  size  of  life,  carved  with  great  ele- 
gance from  a  single  wooden  block,  painted  of  a  color  between 
the  hue  of  a  Cashmere  woman  and  that  of  a  European.  It  was 
accepted  by  the  Prince,  and  sent  home  to  England.  This  figure 
was  placed  between  Rama  and  his  brother ;  on  their  right  was 
the  Demon  King  in  a  horrible  mask.  A  reciter  and  musician 
stood  behind  the  group.  The  performance  began  by  a  wailing 
song,  to  the  music  of  which  Rama  and  Lechman,  moving  round 
in  small  circles,  kept  time  with  their  feet,  while  the  Demon  King 
nodded  his  wooden  head  in  a  very  quaint  fashion.  The  voices 
of  the  boys  were  sweet,  and  their  movements  graceful.  Whatever 
attractions  the  play  might  have  for  a  scholar  or  for  a  native  au- 
dience, it  certainly  hung  fire  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour  or  so  ; 
and  when  the  performers  were  told  that  they  might  cut  the  play 
short,  a  look  of  surprise,  perhaps  of  chagrin,  stole  over  their 
faces.  Next  there  was  a  display  of  jugglery.  The  performances 
were  directed  by  Ramchandra  Rao,  Commissary  of  Police,  one 
of  the  most  clever  and  intelligent  officials  in  the  service  of  the 
State,  and  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most  thoroughgoing 


INDIAN   JUGGLERS.  2Q7 

Brahmins  in  India.  There  are  many  men  of  the  kind  in  India  : 
the  number  is  increasing'.  He  gave  us  an  exposition  of  Hindoo 
doctrine  one  morning,  remarkable  for  clearness  and  refinement, 
in  which  he  grappled,  if  not  boldly,  at  least  most  ingeniously  and 
delicately,  with  the  abstrusest  questions.  The  Indian  Juggler 
has  no  elaborate  apparatus.  At  the  utmost  he  has  a  withered 
scarecrow  to  assist  in  his  deceptions,  but  generally  he  is  alone. 
He  is  all  but  naked  ;  and  his  whole  stock-in-trade  consists  of  a 
stick  and  a  few  baskets.  He  can  hide  nothing,  for  he  has  no 
place  to  put  anything  in.  The  first  juggler,  Madhar  Sahib,  put 
down  a  small  basket.  He  chattered  at  it,  and  lo  !  there  was  an 
egg  on  the  carpet.  Then  he  put  the  basket  over  the  egg,  chat- 
tered at  it,  turned  it  over,  and  out  walked  a  pretty  pigeon.  Next 
Madhar  placed  another  egg  under  the  basket.  After  incanta- 
tions, out  strutted  the  first  pigeon  and  another  exactly  like  it. 
Other  things  did  Madhar  Sahib,  but  none  so  striking,  though 
peas  under  a  thimble  have  before  now  exercised  the  finest  in- 
tellects, and  baffled  the  greatest  ingenuity.  Poolee,  who  came 
next,  converted  himself  into  a  magazine  of  horrors  ;  took  live 
scorpions  out  of  his  mouth  ;  spat  out  stones  as  large  as  plums 
and  swallowed  them  ;  evolved  from  internal  depths  large  and 
small  nails  and  string,  till  there  vas  a  pile  of  his  products  before 
the  Prince.  Kamatchee,  a  strong-limbed,  comely  young  woman, 
began  by  taking  up  a  handful  of  earth,  which  she  piled  in  a  heap. 
Into  this  she  stuck  two  long  needles.  She  then  took  her  right 
big  toe  in  her  left  hand,  twisted  her  leg  over  her  head,  and  re- 
peated the  feat  with  her  left  leg  and  right  hand.  Next  she  stood 
with  her  heels  to  the  heap,  and  bending  backwards  till  she  could 
put  her  hands  on  the  ground,  brought  down  her  face  close  to  the 
needles,  which  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  were  caught  up  by  her 
eyelids  !  Syed  Khadir  and  Momee  Sawmy — simple,  but,  as  it 
proved,  hard-headed  peasants — next  made  their  appearance. 
Their  stock-in-trade  consisted  of  cocoa-nuts.  Syed  took  one, 
threw  it  up  ir  the  air,  and,  as  it  fell,  met  it  with  the  top  of  his 
naked  skull,  \\hereupon  the  cocoa-nut  flew  in  pieces,  scattering 
the  milk  over  the  place.  Momee  did  the  same.  Several  nuts 


298  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

were  thus  brought  to  ruin  on  their  skulls.  To  my  comfort,  a 
small  relative  of  these  gentlemen  picked  up  the  fragments  and 
put  them  in  a  bag  for  home  use.  Valoyoodhum,  Syed  Cassim, 
and  Imam  Sahib  exhibited  their  powers  as  snake  charmers.  A 
girl  twisted  a  rock  snake  round  her  neck,  and  the  little  Eve  un- 
blushingly  demanded  baksheesh  from  the  prince.  Seven  cobras, 
of  the  largest  size,  were  set  dancing  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
legs  of  the  company.  The  snakes  were  deprived  of  their  fangs  ; 
but  of  their  malice  and  desire  to  kill  there  could  be  no  doubt ; 
they  struck  again  and  again  at  their  charmers.  Imam  Sahib — a 
more  ragged  and  miserable  old  creature  I  never  beheld,  so  that 
growing  mangoes  does  not  appear  to  be  a  good  trade — showed 
that  trick  better  than  I  have  seen  it.  Vencatamoodoo  and  Mauree 
did  what  they  pleased  with  flat  metal  dishes,  and  the  former  was 
a  marvel  of  dexterity,  and  quite  surpassed  the  grand  operator  of 
my  youth,  Ramo  Samee,  in  terrible  ease  and  rapidity,  with 
knives  and  balls.  Ghoodoo  performed  the  basket  trick.  The 
girl  was  forced  into  a  shallow  basket,  Ghoodoo  proceeded  to  in- 
veigh against  her  as  if  he  were  counsel  in  a  divorce  case  ;  finally, 
he  thrust  a  sword  through  the  basket,  and  pretended  to  gloat 
over  the  blood  on  the  blade.  But  when  the  eyes  of  the  audience 
were  turned  on  a  child,  whom  Ghoodoo  seized  and  pretended  to 
behead,  a  sharp-eyed  lady  saw  tKe  girl  gliding  like  a  shadow  out 
of  the  basket. 

December  17. — The  curries  of  .Madras  have  a  reputation  all 
over  India,  and  in  Madras  the  Club  has  the  crowning  honor  and 
glory  of  being  considered  the  best  place  for  curries.  The  Com- 
mittee caused  an  intimation  to  be  made  to  the  Prince  that  if  he 
would  be  so  good  as  to  accept  an  invitation  to  lunch,  they  would 
put  forth  all  their  strength  to  sustain  their  high  renown,  and  to- 
day was  fixed  for  the  tiffin.  There  were  many  curries  and  Indian 
dishes,  and  those  qualified  to  judge  said  that  all  they  tasted  were 
worthy  of  the  occasion.  M.  Bonnemain,  the  chef  on  board  the 
Serapis,  was  instructed  by  native  cooks  in  the  mysteries ;  but 
the  French  intelligence,  fine  and  keen  as  it  is,  does  not  penetrate 
the  depths  of  curry-lore,  and  the  dishes,  even  after  a  considera- 


REVIEW    ON    THE    ISLAND.  2Q9 

ble  experience  in  the  arts  and  sciences  of  several  gentlemen  of 
color  engaged  expressly  to  dress  curries,  never  came  up  to  the 
Indian  standard.  There  was  a  Children's  Fete  in  the  People's 
Park  in  the  afternoon,  where  the  Prince  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  in  all  their  finery  the  many  thousands  of  young  people 
who  welcomed  him  on  the  bridge.  An  address  was  presented, 
and  a  band  of  children  sang  "  God  save  the  Queen."  Altogether 
it  was  a  pretty  sight,  and  as  the  cortege  drove  slowly  down  the 
ranks,  the  clapping  of  hands,  cries  of  joy  and  cheers  of  the  little 
folk  in  all  the  abandon  of  childish  happiness,  evinced  the  pleasure 
they  felt  at  the  visit.  One  could  not  but  feel  respect  and  some- 
thing like  compassion  for  the  good  men  who  pass  their  lives  in 
educating  these  children  in  the  hope,  not  often  realized,  that 
some  at  least  will  be  permanently  retained  in  the  fold.  From  the 
People's  Park  the  Prince  drove  to  the  Island,  where  he  was  re- 
ceived by  the  Commander-in-Chief,  Sir  P.  Haines,  and  his  staff. 
He  mounted,  and,  attended  by  the  military  members  of  his  suite, 
rode  to  the  line  of  troops  drawn  up  one  side  of  the  parallelogram, 
the  other  sides  of  which  were  lined  by  a  great  concourse  of  peo- 
ple, most  of  whom  had  been  squatting  there  for  hours.  The 
troops  at  the  General  Parade  were  one  squadron  of  the  i6th 
Lancers,  the  Governor's  Body  Guard,  the  A  and  J  Batteries,  2oth 
Brigade,  R.A.,  H.M.'s  Sgth  Regiment,  the  Madras  Volunteers, 
loth  M.  N.  I.,  i3th  M.  N.  I  and  37th  M.  N.  I.  An  incident  which 
illustrates  the  difficulties  of  dealing  with  those  who  do  not  under- 
stand our  ways,  occurred.  The  Raja  of  Vizianagram  came  on  the 
ground  as  the  Royal  cavalcade  was  moving  off,  and  mounted  a  very 
handsome  and  showily  caparisoned  Arab,  which  was  awaiting  him. 
He  was  attired  in  a  scarlet  gold-laced  tunic,  wore  a  turban  with 
diamond  aigrette,  a  jewelled  sword,  gold-lace  sash,  patent  leather 
Napoleon  boots,  and  heavy  plated  spurs,  and  looked  a  very  gal- 
lant gentleman.  Nothing  doubting,  he  dashed  off  full  speed  and 
joined  the  Staff  as  the  Prince  turned  to  ride  along  the  front 
of  the  line,  but  he  had  not  been  very  long  in  company  before  an 
intimation  was  conveyed  to  him,  that  not  being  a  military  officer 
on  duty,  or  not  being  specially  invited,  or  something  of  the  kind, 


300  THE    PRINCE   OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

he  had  better  retire,  and  he  rode  back  accordingly,  and  took  up 
his  post  near  the  Governor's  carnages  with  an  expression  of 
mortification  and  anger  on  his  face  which  was  only  too  manifest. 
The  Raja  evidently  thought  he  was  quite  in  the  right  in  riding 
in  the  Prince's  retinue,  and  it  never  entered  into  his  head  that 
he  could  be  out  of  place.  The  march  .past  made  the  physical 
inferiority  of  the  Sepoys  and  the  advanced  age  of  the  native 
officers  of  the  Madras  army  more  conspicuous  than  they  had 
been  when  we  observed  the  native  regiments  lining  the  streets. 
There  was  another  observation — that  one  of  the  R.  A.  Batteries 
had  Armstrong  guns — the  other  the  new  muzzle-loader,  but  in 
time  the  former  will  be  placed  in  store,  and  there  will  be,  it  is  to 
be  hoped,  uniformity  in  the  field  artillery  in  India.  When  the 
parade  was  dismissed,  the  Prince  returned  to  Government  House, 
and  thence  drove  to  the  residence  of  the  Commander-in-Chief, 
whom  he  honored  with  his  company  at  dinner. 

About  10  P.  M.  the  Prince,  attended  by  Sir  C.  Staveely,  &c., 
drove  to  the  Pier,  where  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  and  a  great 
concourse  had  been  awaiting  his  arrival  for  the  great  "  effect "  of 
the  Madras  week.  Seats  were  placed  for  the  Prince,  the  Govern- 
or, his  family  and  suite,  &c.,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  spray.  Men 
will  never  see  any  spectacle  more  strange — nay,  awful — than  the 
"  illumination  of  the  surf."  Neither  pen  nor  pencil  can  give  any 
idea  of  it.  It  was  exciting,  grand,  weird  and  beautiful.  As  if  to 
render  homage  to  the  occasion,  the  wind  rose  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  the  surf  was  high — enormous  curling  breakers  ran  between 
the  base-pillars  of  the  pier.  The  moonlight  revealed  now  and 
then  dark  objects  rising  and  falling  on  the  billows,  between  the 
outer  darkness  of  the  horizon,  against  which  the  hulls  and  rig- 
ging of  the  Serapis,  Osborne,  w\&  Raleigh,  lighted  up  with  lanterns, 
stood  out  in  relief,  and  the  breakers  on  the  beach.  These  were 
massoulah  boats  and  catamarans  lying  off  in  the  rollers  till  the 
time  came  for  setting  fire  to  the  lights,  which  were  to  burn  in,  and 
to  illuminate  the  water.  The  buildings,  transparencies,  and 
triumphal  arches,  above  which  rose  steeples,  domes,  and  columns^ 
brilliantly  illuminated,  formed  the  background  along  the  beach, 


THE    ILLUMINATION    OF    THE    SURF.  3OI 

Southwards,  where  the  rollers  swept  up  to  the  roadway,  rows  of 
natives,  facing  seawards,  with  blazing  torches  and  blue  lights 
lighted  up  an  ocean  of  white  turbans.  First  there  were  fireworks. 
The  Osborne  and  Serapis,  emitting  volumes  of  colored  flames, 
vied  with  each  other  in  all  kinds  of  pyrotechny.  It  seemed  as  if 
volcanoes  were  bursting  up  from  the  deep.  In  a  grand  discharge 
from  the  Raleigh  there  were  190  colored  rockets.  Presently  ap- 
peared from  afar  seawards  many  flames,  dipping  and  rolling  amid 
the  waves,  drifting  landwards  like  fire-ships.  These  multiplied. 
Occasionally  lights  flashed  right  through  the  rollers  from  the  other 
side.  Suddenly  the  lines  of  black  massoulah  boats  and  cata- 
marans from  the  beach  dashed  into  the  surf  like  a  squadron  of 
cavalry.  With  the  wildest  yells  they  charged  the  serried  ranks  of 
the  foam-crested  breakers.  Amid  a  sea  now  black  as  ink,  now 
like  glistening  jet,  now  creaming  in  surf,  the  catamaran  men  con- 
tended with  waves,  which  seemed  to  be  mounds  of  flame. 
Sometimes  they  were  swept  off,  and  disappeared  beneath  the  bil- 
lows, or  were  seen  swimming  in  the  mad  turmoil.  There  was  an 
agonizing  suspense  till  they  regained  their  craft,  or  striking  out 
with  strong  arms,  were-  borne  in  on  the  surf,  and  landed  safe  on 
the  beach.  The  massoulah  boats,  swept  from  stem  to  stern  by 
the  breakers,  forced  their  way  out  over  the  rollers  to  the  smoother 
sea,  only  to  return,  at  full  speed,  and  engage  with  wild  emulation 
in  still  more  animated  contests.  The  hardy  fellows,  watching 
(heir  opportunity,  by  tremendous  efforts  kept  their  boats  on  top 
of  the  wave,  and,  covered  with  foam,  were  borne  past  the  pier 
with  wonderful  velocity  to  the  beach,  yet  always  emerged  safely 
from  the  surf. 

When  that  extraordinary  scene  was  over,  it  was  long  past  n 
p.  M.,  and  there  was  yet  another  function,  and  a  heavy  one  to 
boot — a  visit  to  the  Native  Entertainment,  the  scene  of  which 
was  the  immense  Railway  Station  at  Roypooram,  which  had 
been  converted  since  the  Prince's  arrival  into  a  vast  theatre, 
nearly  800  feet  long  and  250  feet  wide,  decorated  with  great 
splendor  and  richness.  An  elevated  platform  covered  with 
scarlet  cloth  and  tiers  of  benches  was  reserved  for  the  guests 


3O2  THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

and  Chiefs,  and  in  the  centre  were  gilt  chairs  for  the  Prince, 
the  Governor  and  the  ladies  of  his  family,  the  authorities  and 
the  Europeans.  The  hour  fixed  in  the  programme  was  10  P.  M., 
and  it  was  midnight  when  the  Prince  entered.  Many  thousands 
of  people,  Europeans  and  Asiatics, — the  latter  of  course,  many 
hundreds  to  one  of  the  former, — filled  the  place.  On  the  entry 
of  the  Prince,  which  was  announced  by  music  and  cannon,  all 
the  multitude  stood  up, 

"  Their  rising  all  at  once  was  as  the  sound 
Of  thunder  heard  remote." 

When  the  Prince  and  the  brilliant  company  were  seated,  a 
deputation  of  native  gentlemen  advanced  to  the  platform,  and, 
mounting  to  the  dais,  presented  an  address,  which  was  read  by 
the  Chairman,  in  which  they  expressed  the  gratification  of  the 
native  community  at  the  great  honor  conferred  on  them  by  the 
Prince's  presence  at  their  entertainment,  and  requested  his 
acceptance  of  the  exquisite  gold  casket,  on  the  top  of  which  was 
a  finely  worked  tiger,  which  was  placed  on  a  velvet  cushion  on  a 
small  table  in  front  of  his  chair.  Whilst  the  address  was  being 
read  and  the  Prince  was  replying,  there  was  time  to  look  about 
one.  A  square  platform  stood  in  the  body  of  the  hall,  nearly  at 
the  level  of  the  Royal  seat ;  in  the  centre  there  was  a  gilt  pole 
with  colored  cordons,  like  ropes  of  artificial  flowers,  from  the  top. 
From  this  platform  there  was  a  gangway  to  a  stage,  whereon 
were  seated  the  dancing  girls  and  musicians — the  former  dressed 
in  the  richest  and  heaviest  robes  of  kincob,  and  stuffs  of  the 
brightest  colors  descending  from  the  throat  to  the  ankles,  and 
leaving  exposed  only  the  arms,  which  could  scarcely  be  called 
bare,  as  from  shoulder  to  finger-tip  these  ladies  wore  armlets, 
bracelets,  and  rings, — and,  moreover  had,  in  their  noses  and  their 
ears  sparkling  diamonds, — and,  set  with  yellow  flowers  in  their 
thick,  coarse,  black  hair,  more  diamonds,  and  on  their  toes  rings  of 
precious  stones.  Just  beneath  the  droop  of  their  crimson  or 
scarlet  satin  trousers  were  revealed  the  sparkling  anklets  and 
bangles,  which  kept  time  to  their  movements  and  to  the  click  of 


A    NATIVE    ENTERTAINMENT.  303 

the  castanets,  with  a  sharp  metallic  tingle  as  they  danced.  Each 
lady  wore  a  scarf  or  shawl,  in  which  she  muffled  herself  up  as 
she  sat  on  the  ground  till  her  turn  came  to  dance,  when  it  was 
called  into  action  and  made  to  play  an  important  part,  being  held 
over  the  head  with  extended  arms,  or  thrown  wide  aside,  or 
closely  gathered  round  the  figure  in  unison  with  the  sentiment  to 
be  conveyed  by  the  dance.  These  were  brought  under  the 
ordeal  of  most  powerful  lime-lights,  which  threw  an  intense 
white  glare  on  the  vast  sea  of  turbans  and  faces,  the  uniforms 
and  pale  features  of  the  Europeans,  and  caused  the  jewels  of  the 
Rajas  and  Nawabs  on  the  platform  to  dazzle  one's  eyes,  and  the 
enormous  chandeliers  suspended  from  the  ceiling  to  pale  their 
ineffectual  fires.  The  Kolattam,  which  opened  the  entertainment, 
was  simply  such  a  dance  as  one  has  seen  at  stage  representa- 
tions of  May-pole  dances  and  merrymaking.  The  nautch  girls 
advanced,  each  took  one  of  the  cords,  and  then  they  danced  in 
and  out  and  round  the  pole  and  each  other  till  they  had  wound 
themselves  into  a  nosegay  looking  knot,  and  then  they  unwound 
themselves — this  too  often  perhaps  for  the  perfect  enjoyment  of 
those  who  had  done  so  much  in  the  daytime  and  who  were  now 
sitting  into  the  small  hours.  The  great  feature  of  the  entertain- 
ment was  the  performance  of  the  famous  danseuse  Gnyana  for 
whose  services  yoo/., — probably  7<D/., — or  perhaps  the  former  sum 
for  all  the  dancers  and  musicians, — was  paid.  The  little  woman, 
rather  pretty  and  confident,  executed  a  very  long  "piece  "  with  her 
feet  to  the  music  of  the  native  implements  and  to  the  accompan- 
iment of  an  intermittent  chorus,  aided  by  conch  shells  and  solos, 
and  at  times  illustrated  by  her  own  voice  ;  and  as  the  dance 
appeared  to  give  exquisite  pleasure  to  every  ninety  people  out  of 
the  hundred  who  looked  at  it,  there  would  be  presumption  and 
insular  arrogance  and  prejudice — probably  ignorance  of  the  true 
principles  of  art-combinations  of  music,  song  and  dancing — if 
one  were  to  say  that  the  performance  seemed  monotonous  and 
exceedingly  destitute  of  variety.  When  the  player  on  the  vina 
had  fairly  embarked  on  the  solo,  which  was  to  be  the  musical 
gem  of  the  evening  or  morning,  it  became  evident  that  the  en- 


304  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

joyment  of  the  entertainment  by  the  principal  person  had  been 
sufficient,  and  he  rose  to  go  to  the  supper-room  for  a  few  moments, 
whence  he  emerged  to  drive  back  to  Government  House,  leaving 
the  native  drama,  in  four  acts,  to  be  seen  by  those  who  were  de- 
termined to  see,  and  the  songs  by  celebrated  artistes,  and  the 
concerted  pieces  on  the  vina,  dol,  and  zither  saranthe,  to  be  heard 
by  those  who  pleased  to  stay. 

December  18. — A  meet  of  the  Madras  pack  at  Guindy  tested 
the  sporting  energies  of  the  weaker  sort  to  fracture ;  but  the 
Prince,  who  did  not  get  to  bed  till  nearly  2  A.  M.,  was  up  and  away 
at  6  A.  M.  Quce  regio  in  terris  ? — Here  is  Squires,  whom  men  and 
dogs  have  obeyed  at  the  Pytchley,  and  who  is  known  to  the 
followers  of  the  West  Norfolk — who  has  led  the  Austro-Hunga- 
rian  chivalry  after  the  Esterhazy  foxhounds,  and  has  wound  his 
horn  by  the  side  of  Russian  covers — installed  as  huntsman  of 
the  Madras  pack,  recognized  by  the  Prince,  and  by  more  than 
one  member  of  the  field — 7.6Sst  yatatv !  Several  of  "  the  follow- 
ing "  had  "  incidents,"  but  the  ground  was  soft ;  there  were 
adventures  by  flood  and  field,  broken  curb-chains,  broken  stirrup- 
leathers,  and  "  staggers  " — the  latter  confined  to  horses.  There 
was,  however,  a  fine  run — said  to  be  nine  miles — and  a  kill  at  the 
end.  The  Prince  enjoyed  the  morning's  sport  exceedingly.  The 
party  returned  "  hungry  as  fox  "  (or  jackal)  "  hunters  "  to  Madras. 
After  lunch,  the  party  inspected  the  native  presents,  which  were 
laid  out  in  a  tent  in  the  compound  ;  and  it  is  only  to  be  regretted 
that  there  could  not  have  been  a  similar  exposition  of  the  gifts 
made  in  return  by  the  Prince. 

Among  many  interesting  offerings  to  the  Prince  at  Madras 
must  be  specially  mentioned  an  account  of  the  Danish  Protestant 
Mission,  Tranquebar,  by  the  Rev.  C.  E.  Kennet,  with  an  auto- 
graph letter  of  George  I.  (December  22,  1719 — January  3,  1720) 
from  St.  James's  addressed  to  "  Bartholomaeo  Ziegenbalg  and 
Johann  Ernest  Groundler,  Missionaries,  Tranquebar,"  offered  by 
the  Rev.  I.  Schwarz,  of  the  Lutheran  Mission,  Tranquebar,  for 
the  acceptance  of  his  Royal  Highness.  The  Princess  of  Wales 
would,  no  doubt,  be  glad  to  learn  that  in  this  distant  land  her 


DEPARTURE    FROM    MADRAS.  305 

own  countrymen  could  tell  her  husband  that  Denmark  was  the 
first  Protestant  country  which  (in  the  reign  of  Frederick  IV.,  in 
1705)  sent  out  a  mission  for  the  evangelization  of  India.  The 
Zeigenbalg,  who  is  named  above,  visited  England  on  his  return 
from  India  in  1714,  and  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  of  the 
day  received  him  most  courteously  and  promised  him  every 
help. 

There  was  much  to  be  done  in  a  very  short  time,  for  this  was 
our  parting  day.  The  windows  and  the  verandas  of  the  houses 
and  offices  were  filled — the  roofs  were  covered  thickly  by  people. 
The  patient  Asiatics  congregated  at  various  points  along  the 
route ;  but  certainly  there  was  not  one-half  the  number  of  those 
who  attended  on  the  day  of  the  entry.  A  well-bred  Native  gen- 
tleman explained  the  fact.  "  There  are,"  he  said,  "  so  many 
thousands  sorry  for  the  Prince's  leaving  that  they  cannot  bear  to 
see  it,  and  so  stay  away."  There  was  no  cheering,  except  from 
Europeans  ;  no  clapping  of  hands,  but  an  attitude  of  profound 
respect — "  a  silence  which  had  in  it  something  of  reverence, 
such  as  that  which  prevails  in  a  place  of  worship."  At  the  plat- 
form at  the  end  of  the  pier  tramway,  the  Native  officers  were 
presented  to  his  Royal  Highness.  To  those  specially  men- 
tioned the  Prince  said  a  few  gracious  words.  No  one  who 
glanced  at  the  faces  of  these  gentlemen — many  of  them  gray- 
haired  soldiers — could  doubt  that  the  Asiatic  delights  in  a 
tangible,  visible  representation  of  royalty,  and  that  "  veneration  " 
is  one  of  the  most  pronounced  characteristics  of  his  nature. 
Their  bearing  was  charged,  so  to  speak,  with  submissiveness. 
At  the  landing-stairs  many  hundreds  of  Europeans,  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  assembled,  but  the  Chiefs  remained  at  the  place 
whence  the  car  started.  There  was  a  guard  of  honor,  &c.,  of 
the  Sgth  Regiment  opposite  the  stairs.  The  massoulah  boats 
were  rising  and  falling  more  vivaciously  than  was  pleasant  at 
the  foot  of  the  steps.  A  flotilla  of  catamarans,  each  with  a  flag- 
staff and  flag,  lay  beyond  them. 

The  Prince  remained  a  few  moments  on  the  landing-stage, 
while  the  suite  cast  uneasy  looks  on  the  waves  which  ran  be- 

20 


306  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOTTR. 

tween  the  uprights  of  the  pier.  He  bade  the  members  of  the 
Governor's  family  and  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  with  whom  he 
was  acquainted  farewell,  going  round  and  shaking  hands  with  his 
personal  friends.  At  last  came  the  moment  to  leave,  and  as  the 
Prince  stepped  down  the  ladder  to  the  massoulah  boat,  the  whole 
company  stood  up.  A  great  clamor  of  "  sounds,  like  breakers 
in  a  dream  "  arose,  blessing  the  Prince  and  his  journey.  Watch- 
ing the  rise  and  fall,  he  stepped  on  board  the  massoulah  boat  at 
the  first  attempt.  The  Royal  Standard  was  hoisted  in  the  bow, 
and  as  the  boatmen  uttered  the  first  notes  of  the  chant  with 
which  they  kept  time  to  the  beat  of  their  paddles,  the  crowd 
cheered,  and  waved  hats  and  handkerchiefs.  There  were  four 
large  massoulah  boats  for  the  Prince  and  his  suite,  and  they 
formed  line,  heading  towards  the  Serapis,  which  with  yards 
manned,  was  waiting  for  her  illustrious  passenger.  A  double 
line  of  catamaran-men  escorted  the  Royal  barge.  These  mermen 
have  been  often  described  ;  but  no  one  who  has  not  seen  them 
can  form  the  smallest  idea  of  their  skill  and  daring  in  a  seaway. 
Familiarity  has  bred  in  them  contempt  for  the  dangers  of  the 
sea.  They  sit  bolt  upright  on  their  heels,  so  that  the  thigh  and 
the  .leg  are  one  above  the  other,  like  the  limbs,  of  a  parallel 
ruler.  Thus  seated,  they  are  as  firm  in  their  places  on  the 
narrow  plank  of  wood  on  which  they  float  above  and  through 
the  water,  as  if  they  were  nailed  to  the  catamaran,  and  work  the 
uncouth  pieces  of  board  which  they  use  as  paddles  with  the 
greatest  freedom  and  security.  It  was  feared  there  would  be 
some  trouble  in  boarding.  Captain  Glyn  ordered  a  spring  to  be 
put  on  the  cable,  so  as  to  bring  the  ship  across  the  run  of  the 
sea  and  make  a  fair  lee,  and  the  "  chair,"  which  was  in  readiness 
to  hoist  up  the  Prince,  was  not  required.  The  moment  his 
Royal  Highness  left  the  boat  the  standard  at  her  bow  was 
lowered,  and  in  another  instant  the  guns  of  the  Raleigh  were 
duly  honoring  the  Royal  flag  which  floated  from  the  main  of  the 
Serapis. 

May  it  be  said  that  the  Prince  was  sorry  to  leave  Madras  ? 
It  certainly  would  be  true  \  and  although  there  has  been  no  lack 


DEPARTURE    FROM    MADRAS  3O/ 

of  courtesy  and  kindness  to  be  spoken  of  in  all  this  Eastern 
land,  it  would  be  only  just  to  say  that  the  welcome  of  the  Uuke 
of  Buckingham. and  the  reception  given  by  Madras  must  remain 
for  ever  among  the  most  pleasant  memories  of  the  Prince's  tour. 
In  Government  House  there  was  a  combination  of  the  charms 
of  English  family  life  with  the  state  of  an  Oriental  satrap ;  but 
the  former  so  far  predominated,  thanks  to  the  presence  of  the 
gracious  ladies,  who  did  the  honors  of  the  Duke  of  Buckingham's 
house  with  such  kindness,  that  one  felt,  in  spite  of  strange  sur- 
roundings, as  though  he  were  "  at  home."  Surely  it  would  be 
advisable,  as  a  means  of  breaking  down  the  barriers  of  caste  and 
custom,  to  appoint  to  high  places  in  India  those  who  have 
around  them  the  gentler  agencies  which  in  every  civilized 
country  exercise  such  an  influence  on  society?  There  are 
sacrifices,  no  doubt, — there  are  too  many  instances  of  them, — but 
it  is  a  great  work  to  be  accomplished.  The  Prince  expressed  his 
sense  of  the  Governor's  efforts  to  render  his  visit  to  Madras 
agreeable  and  profitable  in  the  warmest  terms. 

At  5.30  P.  M.  the  Serapisgot  her  anchor  and  proceeded  north- 
wards for  the  Hooghly,  the  Raleigh  and  Osborne  being  astern, 
starboard  and  port  respectively.  The  sun  was  fast  sinking 
behind  Fort  St.  George,  but  its  rays  still  struck  the  colored  fronts 
and  roofs  of  houses  facing  westwards,  and  the  domes  and 
steeples  of  the  city ;  touched  the  salient  points  of  the  long  fa£ade 
broken  by  colonnades  and  porticos,  presented  by  the  sea  front, 
and  cast  a  magic  light  on  the  landscape  in  the  background, 
which  melted  away  amid  masses  of  wood  into  faint  mountain 
outlines.  Venice  never  looked  more  beautiful  than  Madras  did, 
as  the  long  line  of  buildings,  which  rise  above  the  surf,  the 
fluttering  flags,  and  the  vast  crowds  on  shore  appeared  to  retire 
from  the  Serapis.  The  ever-changing  hues  of  the  flying  spray 
threw  a  many-colored  veil  over  the  barrier  of  human  heads,  with 
faces  still  turned  seawards.  If  the  beach  of  Brighton,  from 
Hove  to  the  West  Cliff,  under  like  conditions  of  sea,  sun,  and 
sky,  were  covered  by  white  turbans  and  dark  skins,  there  would 
be  some  resemblance  to  the  sight  that  Madras  presented ;  for 


308  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

there  are  no  minarets,  mosques,  or  Hindoo  temples,  to  detract 
from  the  European  look  of  the  place  ;  and  whether  it  be  that  the 
general  impression  of  the  situation  and  architecture  of  the  pier 
recalls  the  Steyne  and  London-by-the-Sea,  there  is  certainly  a 
suggestion  about  Madras  of  a  Brighton,  without  east  winds,  or 
fogs,  or  wintry  vapors. 


DEAD  GAME. 


THE   PRINCE   AND   BEGUM   OF   BHOPAL. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CALCUTTA. 

From  Madras  to  Calcutta — The  "  James  and  Mary  "  Shoals— The  Hooghly 
— Landing  at  Calcutta — Government  House — Private  Visits — Ceremo- 
nies— Christinas  Day  -Chandernagore — Reception  of  Chiefs  at  Chandal 
— Return  Visits — Tent  pegging — The  Star  of  India — The  Procession  of 
the  Order — The  Ceremony — The  "  Awful  "  Benefit  Night — The  Zenana. 

DECEMBER  19  {Sunday).  —  The  weather  at  sea  was  all  that 
could  be  desired.  The  thermometer  marked  only  78°.  The 
wind  light  and  fine,  the  squadron  running  through  a  smooth  sea 
at  the  rate  of  eleven  knots  an  hour.  Divine  service  was  per- 
formed at  ii  A.  M.  on  the  quarter-deck,  by  the  Rev.  Canon  Duck- 
worth and  the  Rev.  Mr.  York,  chaplain.  The  Prince,  Admiral 
Macdonald,  members  of  the  suite,  and  the  ships'  officers  and 
company  present.  At  noon  our  position  was  lat.  15°  6'  N.,  long. 
89°  16'  E.,  distance  made  good  from  Madras,  166  miles  ;  dis- 

309 


3IO  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

tance  to  Light-ship  Sand  Heads,  492  miles,  so  that  we  shall  be 
in  before  our  time,  as  the  Serapis  will  be  at  the  Sand  Heads  at 
noon  on  Tuesday,  and  will  then  be  only  105  miles  from  Calcutta, 
where  she  could  arrive  on  the  22cl,  if  all  went  well.  In  the 
afternoon  the  wind  became  a  little  more  positive,  and  blew  right 
ahead,  which  increased  the  draught  in  the  furnaces,  and  we  had 
plenty  of  steam.  This  great  Bay  of  Bengal,  so  terrible  in  mon-. 
soons  and  so  vexed  by  cyclones,  was  tranquil  as  a  Highland  tarn 
— not  a  sail  was  visible,  nor  were  there  fishes  or  birds  to  be  seen. 
The  Raleigh  is  always  a  fine  object  to  look  at — symmetry  (in 
spite  of  her  stern,  which  "  hangs  "  in  the  water),  strength,  power 
and  speed,  seem  to  be  happily  combined  in  her.  She  fills  the 
mind  with  a  satisfying  idea  of  a  man-of-war.  We  lose  her  at  the 
entrance  to  the  river,  and  proceed  with  the  ever-faithful  Osborne. 
That  pretty  fine-weather  yacht  has  proved  a  great  success.  In- 
tended only  for  Channel  service  and  Royal  journeys  in  short  sea- 
passages,  she  has  turned  out  to  be  an  ocean-going  steamer,  capa- 
ble of  holding  her  own  in  the  stiffest  breezes  and  most  disagree- 
able seas,  though  to  say  she  does  not  roll  and  is  not  wet  under 
such  circumstances  "  were  base  flattery." 

December  20.  —  At  2  A.  M.  the  spring  of  the  cylinder  gave 
way,  and  one  hour  and  a  quarter  were  spent  in  repairing  damages. 
The  stopping  of  the  screw  woke  the  sleepers  in  hammock  and 
berth  instantly.  Even  Lord  C.  Beresford,  whose  marine  assu- 
rance in  such  matters  is  not  easily  disturbed,  was  heard  to  utter 
a  dreamy  order  to  Tom  Fat  to  "  see  what  the  row  was  about." 
Continued  all  well.  A  dead  calm.  At  noon,  observations  gave 
lat.  17°  44',  long.  84°  47';  distance  run  213  miles.  Distance 
from  the  Light-vessel  in  the  Eastern  Channel  of  the  Sand  Heads, 
279  miles.  The  current  (N.  43'  E.)  set  the  ship  seven  miles  out 
of  her  course.  There  was  consequently  a  considerable  discrep- 
ancy between  the  dead  reckoning  and  the  observed  position. 
The  ship  was  trimmed,  350  tons  of  water  pumped  in,  and  chain 
cables,  &c.,  transferred,  to  deepen  her  astern.  To-morrow  will 
be  the  last  day,  and  will  also  give  us  the  lowest,  of  the  neap 
tides,  and  there  are  the  "  James  and  Mary  "  shoals,  full  of  terrors 


THE  "JAMES  AND  MARY  SHOALS.       311 

for  Captain  Glyn  and  all  stout  mariners,  who  know  that  it  is 
really  a  case  of  "touch  and  go  "  for  a  ship  which  runs  into  their 
dangerous  embrace.  After  dinner  Mr.  Smith  Dorrien's  company 
gave  a  musical  and  dramatic  entertainment,  which  was  more  than 
usually  lively  and  successful ;  and  at  the  close,  invitations  were 
given  by  the  ward-room  officers,  which  were  accepted  by  the 
Prince  and  some  of  his  suite. 

December  21.  —  Not  a  ripple  on  the  water.  Lat.  20°  28', 
long.  87°  38'.  Distance  made  good  at  noon,  245  miles.  The 
Light-vessel  in  the  Eastern  Channel  off  the  Sand  Heads,  33 
miles  distant.  A  N.  E.  current  set  us  16  miles  out  of  our  course. 
At  2  P.  M.  the  Light-ship  was  sighted,  and  at  3  p.  M.  the  Serapis 
was  alongside  it.  Two  trim-looking  pilot  brigs,  belonging  to  the 
excellent  service  of  the  Hooghly  Pilotage,  were  bearing  down 
upon  us ;  and  when  the  Serapis  anchored,  Mr.  Daly  and  Mr. 
Baker,  two  officers  of  the  department,  came  on  board.  They 
informed  Captain  Glyn  that  he  could  not  cross  the  bar  to  go  up 
to  Saugor  till  to-morrow  (Wednesday).  This  was  not  pleasant 
intelligence.  Of  all  places  in  the  world  where  one  would  like  to 
anchor  the  Sand  Heads  is,  to  put  the  subject  in  the  most  favor- 
able point  of  view,  perhaps  that  which  he  would  select  the  last. 
As  the  Raleigh  drew  too  much  water  to  go  up  the  river  at  low 
tides,  it  was  considered  better  to  send  her  back  ;  and  she  was 
accordingly  ordered  to  go  round  to  Bombay.  Captain  Tryon 
came  on  board  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Prince,  and  take  leave. 
His  Royal  Highness  presented  Captain  Tryon  with  fine  portraits 
of  the  Princess  of  Wales  and  of  himself,  and  with  other  souvenirs. 
The  two  ships  parted  company  under  the  friendly  fire  of  tremen- 
dous cheers  from  the  crews.  After  a  little  council  on  the  bridge, 
the  Prince  expressed  a  desire  to  proceed  onwards  towards  Sau- 
gor Island.  Captain  Glyn  gave  the  necessary  orders.  The 
Serapis  weighed,  and  crept  up  with  sedulous  lead-going,  till  she 
found  it  was  very  dark  above  and  "  soft  and  near  "  below,  and 
we  anchored  for  the  night.  A  small  steamer  was  despatched 
ahead  to  take  letters  to  post  on  shore. 

December  22. — Weighed  at  6.5A.M.     Passing  Saugor  Light- 


312  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

House,  at  9  A.  M.  Anchored  off  "  Mud  Point  "at  n  A.  M.  A 
very  dreary  prospect.  Practised  rifle  shooting  at  buoys  and 
floating  marks  "  because  there  was  nothing  else  to  do."  From 
the  time  the  Sand  Heads  Light  was  sighted  we  have  passed 
nearly  two  days  in  these  muddy  waters — and  at  one  time  there 
was  only  six  inches  of  water  between  our  keel  and  the  mud. 
Sir  R.  Temple,  two  of  his  officers,  and  General  S.  Browne,  came 
on  board  from  the  Rhotas  just  as  it  was  becoming  dark,  and  after 
an  interview  with  his  Royal  Highness,  returned  to  their  floating 
mansion.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Parnell,  Captain  Durrant,  Mr. 
Prinsep,  Lieutenant  Clifford,  and  Lieutenant  Gough,  were  invi- 
ted to  dinner  from  the  Osborne. 

December  23. — The  Serapis  was  ready  to  start  at  daybreak, 
but  she  did  not  weigh  anchor  till  past  7  A.M.,  and  had  some 
little  difficulty  in  turning  in  the  narrow  channel.  Messrs.  Day 
and  Falle  of  the  Harbor  department  came  on  board,  and  we  pro- 
ceeded with  the  flood-tide  up  the  great  river  which,  but  for  the 
cocoa-nut-palms,  mangoes,  and  bamboos  on  the  flat  shores,  would 
remind  one  of  the  Elbe,  or  the  lower  reaches  of  the  Rhine, — nay, 
of  our  own  Thames  at  its  widest, — till  we  had  mounted  into  nar- 
rower waters,  where  the  deeper  channels  enabled  the  vessel  to 
approach  the  banks.  There  were  crowds  wherever  there  were 
villages,  and  discharges  of  arms  and  fireworks  indicated  the 
desire  of  the  natives  and  of  the  local  authorities  to  render  them- 
selves agreeable  and  to  do  honor  to  the  Prince.  After  break- 
fast, his  Royal  Highness  put  on  his  uniform  and  went  on  the 
bridge,  where  he  remained  observing  with  keen  interest  the 
rapidly  increasing  tokens  of  our  approach  to  the  great  city — the 
larger  and  more  frequent  villages,  the  detached  bungalows, 
factory  chimneys,  fishing  and  trading  boats,  merchantmen 
anchored  in  the  stream,  and  passing  steamers  filled  with  people. 
There  was  no  necessity  for  observations,  but  the  steering  needed 
close  attention.  The  channels  shift  and  change  in  a  wonderful 
manner — "  Here  to-day,  gone  to-morrow."  At  noon  there  was  a 
general  parade  of  all  officers.  In  an  hour  the  masts  of  the  ves- 
sels anchored  below  Garden  Reach  came  in  sight,  and  the  ships 


THE    HOOGHLY.  313 

of  war  dressed  in  flags.  At  i  o'clock,  the  Immortalite,  Doris, 
and  Newcastle  saluted.  The  sailors  manning  the  yards  of  the 
men-of-war  were  dressed  in  blue  •  signal  was  made  for  them  to 
change  to  white.  By  the  time  the  Prince  was  alongside  the  ves- 
sels, the  crews  were  all  in  apple-pie  order.  They  saluted,  cheer 
after  cheer.  As  the  Prince  was  passing  the  gardens  of  the  resi- 
dences of  the  King  of  Oudh,  the  retainers  of  his  ex-Majesty  lined 
the  bank,  and  stood  in  crowds  on  the  tops  of  the  houses  within, 
in  the  enclosure,  and  in  the  verandas,  but  they  did  not  make 
any  sign  of  welcome.  The  Serafiis  passed  by  the  great  banks 
of  shipping,  which  lay  below  Fort  William  three  or  four  deep, 
the  decks  and  rigging  crowded  with  people,  who  cheered  vocifer- 
ously. The  guns  of  Fort  William  thundered,  the  batteries  on 
shore  re-echoed  the  sound.  From  the  deck  could  be  seen  the 
countless  multitudes  on  the  Maidan,  and  the  lines  of  the  t-roops 
drawn  up  from  Fort  William  to  the  Government  House,  and  the 
galaxy  of  Chiefs  and  ladies,  and  the  splendor  of  the  official  and 
military  uniforms  on  shore. 

When  the  Serapis  anchored,  Colonel  Dillon  came  off  to  take 
the  Prince's  pleasure  as  to  when  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala  should 
pay  his  respects.  The  Duke  of  Sutherland,  the  aides-de-camp 
of  the  Governor-General,  Bubbur  Jung — the  son  of  Sir  Jung 
Bahadoor,  attached  to  the  Prince  as  aide-de-camp,  in  a  uniform 
like  that  of  an  English  officer  with  the  exception  of  the  head- 
dress, which  was  a  kind  of  morion,  or  skull  cap,  with  a  plume  of 
bird-of-paradise  feathers,  and  an  aigrette  of  brilliants  and  emer- 
alds— and  many  others  boarded  the  Serapis,  and  a  grand  array 
of  eminent  persons,  military  and  civil,  of  the  Indian  hierarchy, 
all  in  full  uniform,  congregated  on  her  decks,  which  presented  a 
very  animated  and  brilliant  appearance.  They  were  received 
by  the  Prince  very  graciously,  and  many  old  friends  met  now 
after  years  of  separation.  The  news  that  Lord  Hastings  had 
died  of  fever  contracted  on  a  shooting  expedition  on  the  West- 
ern Coast  was  heard  with  infinite  regret  and  surprise. 

When  all  had  been  properly  ordered  for  his  reception  on 
board,  the  Governor-General  and  Viceroy  put  off  from  shore  to 
14 


3H  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

welcome  his  Royal  guest,  and  once  more  the  fleet,  the  forts, 
and  the  artillery  thundered.  Lord  Northbrook  came  in  full 
state,  with  all  his  suite  and  staff,  and  was  ceremoniously  con- 
ducted by  the  officers  and  equerries  of  the  Prince  to  the  saloon. 
The  meeting  between  the  Viceroy  and  the  Prince  was  of  a  very 
cordial  character,  and  after  a  pleasant  conversation  apart,  and 
the  usual  presentations^  the  Viceroy  and  his  officers  returned  to 
shore  in  state,  and  took  their  places  in  the  very  grand  Reception 
Hall  which  had  been  erected  on  the  muddy  margin  of  Prinsep's 
Ghaut.  They  were  followed  at  4.30  P.  M.,  the  appointed  time, 
by  the  Prince,  whose  arrival  was  awaited  with  indescribable 
anxiety  by  the  magnificent  multitude,  although  they  knew  that 
he  would  not  land  before  the  hour  set  down  in  the  programme. 
They  were  luxuriously  seated  in  tiers  of  seats  ranged  by  the 
sides  of  two  pavilions  draped  in  scarlet,  the  roofs  of  which  were 
upborne  by  white  and  gold  pillars,  wreathed  with  garlands,  roses, 
and  green  chaplets.  In  the  space  between  the  pavilions  or 
canopies,  there  were  many  couches,  fanteuils,  and  arm-chairs  for 
the  great  natives  invited  to  assist  at  the  reception.  Flags,  ban- 
ners, and  flowers  decorated  the  walls,  and  were  suspended  from 
the  sides  and  covering  of  the  pavilions,  and  beyond  there  was 
one  very  loftly  and  massive  arch  of  triumph,  with  the  word 
"Welcome  !  "  A  scarlet  carpet  of  great  richness  was  laid  in  the 
platform,  and  the  landing-stage  and  platform  were  covered  with 
red  cloth,  and  handsomely  ornamented.  The  whole  of  \\\z per- 
sonnel of  the  vast  administration  of  the  seat  of  empire  was  there. 
As  to  the  crowds  of  Rajas,  Chiefs,  and  authorities  of  all  kinds, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  say  they  were  even  larger  than  those  at 
Bombay. 

I  shall  not  attempt  any  description  of  the  entrance  of  the 
Prince  into  Calcutta,  or  of  the  procession  from  the  landing-place 
to  Government  House,  for  such  pageants  are  singularly  alike. 
It  gradually  grows  on  one  amid  all  the  congregations  of  men  in 
power,  the  actual  rulers  of  the  land,  that  the  native  leaders 
have  a  weight  and  dignity  which  are  but  little  understood  at 
home.  They  are  growing  upon  us  even  though  they  only  come 


GOVERNMENT    HOUSE.  31$ 

at  first  like  the  magnificent  supernumeraries  of  a  theatrical  spec- 
tacle, who  appear  to  lend  a  glitter  and  give  a  picturesque  effect 
to  the  homelier  but  more  potent  characters  of  the  piece.  When 
these  ceremonies  are  over  they  disappear  from  our  gaze,  but  we 
know  that  they  are  active  behind  the  scenes.  They  remain 
whilst  the  great  actors  are  changing  their  parts,  and  they  are  still 
engaged  when  the  stars  have  at  last  retired  altogether  from  the 
boards.  The  Prince's  welcome  was  not  comparable  in  noise 
and  in  the  excitement  and  variety  and  picturesqueness  of  the 
multitude  to  that  of  Bombay,  but  it  was,  perhaps,  more  dignified, 
by  reason  of  its  metropolitan  attributes.  The  same  result  has 
occurred  here  as  elsewhere.  The  "  people  "  turned  out  in  myr- 
iads to  see  the  Shahzadah.  Immense  satisfaction  is  felt  at 
this  flesh  and  blood  presentment  of  Royalty — a  peculiar  want 
of  human  nature  has  been  gratified  by  the  Prince's  avatar. 
The  arrangements  for  the  landing  and  procession,  if  rather 
simple,  were  very  good  indeed ;  but  I  fear  it  would  not  interest 
my  readers  to  learn  more  than  that  fact,  although  it  cost  many 
weeks'  anxious  thought  and  preparation  to  make  them  so  per- 
fect, and  the  officers  who  left  the  Prince  at  Bombay  have  been 
engaged  ever  since  in  getting  all  things  in  order — looking  after 
suspects,  carriages,  horses,  tents,  servants — and  doing  everything 
that  could  be  done,  to  insure  the  success  of  the  Royal  visit  to 
the  chief  seat  of  the  Government.  The  Prince  was  much  grati- 
fied at  all  that  had  been  effected,  and  seemed  surprised  at  the 
grand  appearance  of  Government  House  and  at  the  splendor 
of  the  Viceregal  state.  The  principal  members  of  the  suite 
were  provided  with  quarters  in  the  house,  but  on  the  open  lawn 
in  front  of  it  a  camp  was  pitched  for  the  others,  who  could 
scarcely  be  termed  less  fortunate,  inasmuch  as  they  were  lodged 
most  comfortably. 

The  banquet  given  by  Lord  Northbrook  in  honor  of  the 
Prince  wa*s  in  all  respects  worthy  of  the  occasion,  and  such  as 
could  not  be  accommodated  with  seats  at  table  in  consequence 
of  the  great  number  of  official  persons  who  could  not  be  omitted, 
were  overwhelmed  with  invitations  to  dinner  by  hospitable 


3l6  THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

residents.  The  lights  in  the  houses,  the  hum  of  voices,  the  stir 
in  the  streets,  showed  how  deeply  the  great  city  was  moved  by 
the  event  which  had  been  so  long  looked  forward  to. 

Calcutta,  December  24. — The  reception  of  the  great  Chiefs 
by  the  Prince  at  Government  House  to-day,  although  accounted 
"  private,"  was  a  very  stately  ceremonial,  conducted  with  much 
official  pomp  and  care.  The  grandiose  creation  of  Lord  Welles- 
ley,  designed  by  Mr.  Wyatt,  one  such  as  no  Governor-General 
would  dream  of  constructing  now  (it  cost  150,0007.),  lends  itself 
well  to  such  an  occasion.  It  occupies  a  fine  site,  and  has  an 
imposing  elevation  and  approaches.  It  is  grand,  but  not  solid. 
The  noble  portico  is  gained  by  a  flight  of  upwards  of  thirty  steps 
from  the  carriage  drive  ;  thence  the  vestibule  gives  on  a  magnif- 
icent hall,  divided  into  centre  and  aisles  by  two  rows  each  of 
twelve  massive  columns.  The  walls  of  the  rooms  and  the  pillars 
are  covered  with  layers  of  the  peculiar  Indian  cement,  called 
chunam,  which,  when  well  polished,  is  whiter  than  the  finest 
marble,  the  ceilings  are  beautifully  decorated.  The  floors  are  of 
marble. 

In  the  carriage  sweep  in  front  of  the  flight  of  steps  at  the 
portico  were  placed  a  guard  of  honor,  the  band  and  colors 
of  the  igth  Regiment.  On  the  broad  landing  at  the  top  of  the 
steps  the  Viceroy's  Band  was  stationed  in  front  of  the  portico  ; 
mace-bearers,  or  chobdars,  in  scarlet  and  gold  liveries,  guarded 
the  entrances.  Between  each  pair  of  columns  in  the  Hall  stood, 
sword  in  hand,  a  gigantic  trooper  of  the  Viceroy's  Body  Guard, 
in  scarlet  and  gold  tunic,  cummerbund  of  the  same,  quaint 
Zebra-striped  turban,  buckskin  breeches,  and  jack-boots.  Ad- 
vancing between  the  columns  up  the  centre  of  the  hall,  the 
visitor  sees  the  Throne  in  an  inner  room,  running  at  right  angles 
to  the  hall,  placed  exactly  opposite  the  entrance.  Mace-bearers 
and  janitors,  in  the  handsome  liveries  of  the  Governor-General, 
bearing  chotas  and  silver  maces,  were  stationed  at  the  entrance 
of  the  rooms  and  inside  the  Throne-room.  Very  good. portraits 
(full-length)  of  George  III.  and  Queen  Caroline  adorn  the  wall 
at  each  side  of  the  Throne.  On  the  wall,  over  a  sofa  in  a  kind 


PRIVATE   VISITS. 

of  ante-chamber,  whence  a  door  leads  to  the  rooms  of  the 
Prince's  suite,  is  a  full-length  portrait  of  "  Major-General  the 
Hon.  Arthur  Wellesley,  1803" — an  unmistakable  likeness  as  to 
the  face,  but  not  equally  accurate,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  as  to  the 
legs,  which  are  very  feeble.  At  the  end,  facing  Wellington,  is 
an  abominable  painting  of  the  Queen  in  her  robes,  by  Sir  George 
Hayter.  The  Throne-room  at  one  end  has  a  row  of  columns 
forming  a  recess.  The  Prince's  suite,  in  full  uniform,  stood  in 
lino  in  the  Throne-room,  on  the  right  of  the  entrance.  It  has 
been  observed  that  the  Prince  does  not  sit  on  any  of  the  numer- 
ous thrones  prepared  for  him,  or  avoids  doing  so  as  much  as  he 
can. 

At  10.30  A.  M.  the  approach  of  the  Maharaja  of  Puttiala  was 
announced  by  the  regulation  salute.  Puttiala  was  not  one  of  the 
finest  of  the  Chiefs  by  any  means,  and  yet  he  was,  as  a  friend  of 
mine  said,  "like  a  flash  of  lightning  through  Storr  and  Morti- 
mer's." He  is  son  of  a  man  who  did  England  good  service  by 
keeping  the  road  between  Delhi  and  the  Punjaub  clear,  and  help- 
ing us  in  a  most  substantial  fashion,  when  it  was  of  vital  impor- 
tance. He  is  rather  a  fine-looking  man,  about  thirty  years  of 
age,  with  a  melancholy,  anxious  face.  As  he  was  led  tenderly 
along  the  outer  hall  by  Major  Henderson,  his  eye  rested  on  the 
empty  throne  with  a  puzzled  expression  ;  but  he  looked  pleased 
when  he  saw  the  Prince,  who  had  been  hitherto  hidden  by  the 
columns,  waiting  to  receive  him  in  the  inner  room.  The  Maha- 
raja made  a  very  low  but  dignified  salaam.  The  Prince  took 
his  hand,  and  led  him  to  the  sofa  at  the  feet  of  the  picture  of 
Wellington,  where  he  sat  with  the  Maharaja  on  his  left,  the  Po- 
litical Officer  (Tupper)  next,  to  interpret.  The  conversation, 
which  lasted  eight  or  ten  minutes,  seemed  to  interest  the  Maha- 
raja greatly ;  and  he  was  delighted  when  the  Prince  referred  to  the 
services  of  Puttiala  in  1857.  The  Maharaja  was  evidently  in 
very  good  humor  when  he  was  led  back  to  the  end  of  the  car- 
pet.* 

*  Before  the  Prince  reached  England  he  received,  with  great  regret,  the 
news  of  the  untimely  death  of  the  Maharaja  in  the  prime  of  life. 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 


Scarcely  had  the  clatter  of  Puttiala's  horse-hoofs  died  away 
ere  the  guns  announced  the  Maharaja  Holkar  of  Indore,  G.  C.  S. 
I.  His  Highness  is  a  very  tall  man,  with  developments  such 
as  were  attributed  to  Aldermen  before  they  took  to  volunteering 
and  athletic  exercises.  Conducted  by  Major  Henderson  and 
the  Political  Agent  (Maitland),  he  came  into  the  Throne-room, 
^  rolling  from  side  to  side,  and  just  touching  his  forehead  slightly 


AFTER  THE   AUDIENCE, 

to  the  suite  in  a  very  regal  manner.  Holkar  is  very  proud  and 
punctilious,  and  there  have  been  difficulties  about  his  prece- 
dence, so  great,  that  the  arrangements  for  a  meeting  with  other 
Chiefs  were  attended  with  trouble.  A  certain  interest  is  attach- 
ed to  Holkar,  because,  if  report  be  true,  he  has  five  million 
sterling  stored  up  for  a  rainy,  or  let  us  say,  as  we  are  in  India, 
for  a  dry  day.  His  two  sons  and  his  clever  Dewan,  Ragonath 


JEYPOOR   AND    CASHMERE.  319 

Rao  (nephew  of  Sir  Madhava  Rao),  and  a  train  of  Sirdars 
took  their  seats  with  the  suite.  It  is  said  the  Maharaja  is  de- 
sirous of  some  part  of  Kandeish ;  but  he  is  clever  enough  to  be 
aware  that  the  Prince  cannot  interfere.  He  received  the  gold 
medal  and  riband  which  is  given  by  the  Prince  to  the  great 
Chiefs,  introduced  his  sons  and  Sirdars,  and  left  with  a  cheerful 
countenance.  The  Maharaja  of  Jodhpoor — a  most  picturesque- 
looking  Chief,  followed  by  a  splendid  Sirdaree — came  next.  A 
very  bright,  keen  eye,  and  black,  bristling  whiskers,  mustache, 
and  beard,  brushed  upwards,  gave  him,  at  first  sight,  a  fierce 
look,  of  which  the  sad,  proud  aspect  of  his  small,  well-cut  fea- 
tures, changed  the  character  on  closer  scrutiny.  But  proud  he  is 
beyond  the  pride  of  the  proudest.  It  is  related  of  him  that  at  a 
Durbar,  when  chairs  were  placed  for  himself,  the  Maharaja  of 
Odeypoor,  and  another  Chief,  he  exclaimed,  "  Let  Odeypoor 
take  which  seat  he  pleases  :  I  shall  sit  above  him  ! "  What 
wealth  of  gems  glittered  all  over  his  neck  and  breast  I  cannot  de- 
scribe. The  many-folded  petticoats,  like  an  Albanian  fustanelle, 
worn  by  the  Maharaja,  descended  nearly  to  his  heels,  and  remind- 
ed one  of  the  robes  of  the  dancing  dervishes.  The  petticoats 
were  looped  up  by  a  roll  of  cloth  of  gold,  forming  a  thick  circular 
girdle,  which  hung  from  the  waist  and  gathered  his  dress  in  be- 
hind below  the  knees.  His  bright  yellow  turban  was  bound 
round  his  brow  by  a  band  of  cloth  of  gold,  and  displayed  an 
aigrette  of  diamonds  and  rubies  of  great  beauty.  His  Sirdars 
were  attired  in  a  similar  way,  and  seemed  to  be  very  pleasant, 
agreeable  gentlemen. 

The  Maharaja  of  Jeypoor  drove  up  in  a  handsome  carnage, 
drawn  by  four  white  horses,  covered  with  trappings  of  cloth  of 
gold,  at  ii  A.M.  He  has  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  enlightened  of  Indian  Potentates.  He  wears  spectacles, 
which  somehow  or  other  never  seem  to  suit  Oriental  costume 
very  satisfactorily. '  His  Sirdars  were  very  splendid  and  peculiar 
in  attire. 

The  cortege  of  the  Maharaja  of  Cashmere  caused  the  im- 
pression produced  by  previous  coruscations  to  fade  away. 


320  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

stage-coach,  in  which  the  Maharaja,  the  Political  Officer  (Cap- 
tain Jenkins),  and  his  Dewan  sat,  arrived  at  11.20  A.  M.  It  was 
preceded  by  two  Life  Guardsmen,  armed  with  enormous  sabres, 
in  brass  helmets  and  red  horse-hair  plumes,  steel  cuirasses, — 
helmets  and  cuirasses  which,  unless  I  am  deceived,  once  belonged 
to  France,  and  defended  the  heads  and  bodies  of  Imperial  Cuir- 
assiers,— blue  coats,  yellow  buckskin  breeches,  and  long  boots. 
Four  more  came  behind  his  carriage,  in  addition  to  his  escort. 
His  Sirdars  followed  in  five  carriages.  He  is  a  handsome,  well- 
made  man,  upright,  and  more  quick  in  gait  and  manner  than 
Asiatic  Chiefs  generally  are.  He  and  his  Chiefs  affect  the  Sikh 
head-dress — one  of  the  most  becoming  of  turbans,  with  a  pretty, 
rakish  set  on  the  head,  and  smart,  defiant  brush,  or  tuft  of  bird- 
of-paradise  feathers,  in  front.  As  to  his  aigrette  or  plaque  of 
diamonds,  one  can  only  say  that  there  seemed  to  be  a  flash  in 
the  air  as  he  turned  his  head  in  talking  with  the  Prince.  The 
Maharaja  of  Gwalior  followed.  He  walked  towards  the  Prince 
in  a  kind  of  eager,  courteous,  deprecating  way,  which  no  actor 
could  imitate.  The  attachment  of  Scindia  to  the  British  raj 
nearly  cost  him  his  throne  in  1858  ;  and  he  certainly  did  not  in- 
crease his  prestige  among  his  own  people  by  the  discovery  and 
surrender  of  a  supposititious  Nana  Sahib — heir,  in  their  eyes,  of 
the  Peishwa.  Scindia  delights  in  soldiering,  and  a  very  good 
judge  told  me  he  knew  few  officers  in  our  service  who  could  put 
a  Division  of  the  three  arms  through  a  good  field-day  so  well. 
His  is  one  of  the  cases  which  present  formidable  difficulties  in 
India.  Here  is  a  ruler  of  martial  tendencies,  who  has  no  pos- 
sible career  open  to  him,  and  whose  devotion  to  drilling  and 
manoeuvring  must  be  more  or  less  cause  of  anxiety  to  the  Para- 
mount Power.  He  is  rough  in  speech,  but  that  his  sentiments 
are  noble  may  be  inferred  from  his  answer  when  the  Bombay 
Government  desired  to  buy  the  site  for  the  Palace  at  Gunnesh 
Khind.  "  A  man,"  said  he,  "  does  not  sell  his  patrimony  ;  but 
he  can  give  it  to  his  friend." 

At  12  (noon)  a  salute  of  nineteen  guns  was  fired,  and  a  closed 
brougham  drove  up  to  the  steps,  to  which  the  guard  (now  of  the 


THE   LEVEE.  321 

4oth  Regiment,  relieving  the  icxjth  Regiment)  presented  arms. 
The  door  was  opened,  and  a  shawl,  supported  on  a  pair  of  thin 
legs,  appeared.  On  the  top  of  the  shawl  there  was  the  semblance 
of  a  head,  but  visible  face  there  was  none,  for  over  the  head 
was  drawn  a  silk  hood,  and  from  it  depended  a  screen  of  some 
sort  of  stuff,  which  completely  hid  features  which  report  says  are 
not  at  all  deserving  of  such  strict  concealment,  though  her  High- 
ness is  nearly  forty,  which  is  old  for  India.  This  was  the  Sultana 
Jehan,  Begum  of  Bhopal,  G. C.S.I.,  a  descendant  of  one  of  those 
families  which  were  pushed  into  place  and  power  by  British  in- 
fluence after  the  Pindarees  were  stamped  down.  With  her  came 
a  daughter,  draped  and  dressed  in  the  same  way,  and  quite  as 
old,  to  judge  from  appearance,  though  the  lady  is  only  eighteen. 
They  walked  very  slowly  one  after  the  other  up  the  steps,  taking 
their  time  about  it,  as  if  they  were  performing  some  remarkable 
feat.  The  Sirdars,  among  whom  were  two  highly-jewelled  lads, 
said  to  be  her  Highness'  nephews,  and  one  old  gentlemen,  Jam 
Allahdeen  Khan,  a  very  fine  type  of  a  Native  Minister,  were 
dressed  magnificently.  The  Begum  was  very  much  at  her  ease, 
and  chatted  very  pleasantly  with  the  Prince,  whilst  her  daughter 
engaged  in  conversation  with  Sir  Bartle  Frere. 

The  last  Chief  was  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah,  whose  carriage 
and  four,  with  two  postilions  in  green  and  gold,  top-boots,  and 
breeches,  did  credit  to  the  Political  Officer  (Bahnerman)  in 
charge  of  his  Highness.  The  Maharaja  is  a  dignified  personage, 
very  well  spoken  of  by  all  who  know  him.  His  family  claims 
very  high  rank  in  point  of  antiquity  and  ancestry. 

The  receptions  finished,  a  Levee  was  held  in  the  Throne- 
room.  The  Prince,  in  full  uniform,  stood  before  the  throne  for 
more  than  two  hours,  bowing  to  the  stream  passing  before  him — 
the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  Lord  A.  Paget,  and  Sir  B.  Frere  on  his 
right ;  and  Sir  R.  Temple  on  his  left,  whispering  information, 
which  caused  the  names  to  be  a  little  jumbled  up  and  some 
bows  to  be  missed.  Notwithstanding  the  notices,  people  would 
bring  cards  printed  in  all  kinds  of  texts,  instead  of  having  their 
names  boldly  and  legibly  written.  It  was  pitiable  to  see  the 

14*  21 


322  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

state  of  bewilderment  in  which  Native  or  European  from  the 
mass,  barred  at  the  door,  passed,  with  the  sun — for  it  would  get 
through — in  his  eyes,  between  lines  of  uniformed  gentlemen,  one 
saying,  "  Not  so  fast ;  wait  till  your  name  is  called !  "  another 
exclaiming,  "  Turn  your  head  and  salaam,  Sir !  "  and  looked  for 
the  Prince  in  order  to  make  his  bow — wondering  all  the  while 
who  "  Ramchunder  Doss  "  or  "  Colonel  Jones,"  whose  name  he 
heard  called,  was  when  he  was  "  Baboo  Shastryia"  or  "  Major 
Evans."  It  was  as  difficult  to  restrain  the  impatience  of  some 
as  it  was  to  accelerate  the  approach  of  others. 

After  a  grand  banquet  at  Government  House  the  Prince 
went  to  the  entertainment  prepared  by  a  committee  of  Native 
gentlemen,  at  Belgatchia,  a  villa  five  miles  away,  from  which  the 
company  did  not  get  away  till  past  midnight.  What  pleases 
Native  gentlemen  is  not  quite  to  European  taste.  There  was  a 
little  too  much  smoke — too  great  a  luxury  of  fireworks  and  illu- 
minations to  be  agreeable  to  those  who  are  so  used  to  them  by 
this  time  as  to  be  very  exacting  and  fastidious,  but  there  were 
many  pretty  things.  Above  all,  there  was  the  intense  wish  to 
please.  The  dancing  girls  were  so  laden  with  clothes  that  only 
their  faces  and  toes  were  visible,  and  dancing  was  lost  in 
drapery. 

December  25. — Christmas  Day.  The  Prince  and  the  Viceroy 
attended  Divine  service  in  the  Cathedral.  It  was  a  full  choral 
service.  Every  seat  was  filled.  The  Communion-table  was 
decorated  with  flowers,  and  the  choir  began  the  service  by  sing- 
ing the  Christmas  Hymn,  advancing  in  procession  to  the  altar 
from  the  porch.  The  Prince  sat  with  Lord  Northbrook  on  his 
left,  Miss  Baring  on  the  right.  The  Bishop  and  clergy  were 
assisted  by  the  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth.  A  charity  sermon  for 
distressed  Europeans,  remarkable  for  treatment  and  character, 
was  preached  by  the  Bishop.  It  contained  no  reference  to  the 
Prince's  visit.  It  was  an  earnest  and  powerful  appeal  to  Chris- 
tians to  set  an  example  to  the  heathen.  Every  Englishman  in 
India  was  a  missionary ;  he  became  a  minister  of  God  or  a  min- 
ister of  evil ;  he  was  charged  with  the  burden  of  Christ.  By  his 


ANOTHER   LEVEE.  323 

life  was  Christ's  teaching  judged.  This  principle  of  direct  re- 
sponsibility Bishop  Milman  insisted  ori  most  forcibly,  concluding 
with  an  admirable  appeal  for  aid  to  our  distressed  country- 
men.* 

The  Prince,  after  his  return  from  the  Cathedral,  drove  to 
Prinsep's  Ghaut,  where  thousands  of  natives  and  hundreds  of 
Europeans,  attracted  by  the  Serapis  dressed  out  with  flags,  had 
assembled.  Two  lines  of  sailors  (Commander  Bedford)  and 
marines  (Major  Snow)  were  drawn  up  on  the  gangway,  which 
was  covered  with  scarlet  cloth,  and  on  pontoons  extending  from 
the  shore  to  fhe  ship.  Outside,  the  officers  of  the  Serapis  and  of 
the  Osborne.  Most  of  the  blue-jackets  had  flowers  in  their  breast. 
The  deck  was  artfully  transformed  into  a  winter  scene  by  means 
of  shrubs  and  branches  covered  with  cotton-wool  to  represent 
snow,  which,  with  the  aid  of  some  glistening  white  powder,  it  did 
most  successfully.  Holly  and  ivy  wreaths,  fabricated  on  board, 
were  hung  on  the  bunting-walls  alongside  inscriptions  of  "  Wel- 
come, merry  Christmas  ! "  "  Happy  new  year  !  "  "  God  bless  the 
Prince  of  Wales !  "  "  Ceadmillefailthe?  "  Welcome."  Old  Father 
Christmas  was  duly  represented.  Across  the  forecastle  was  the 
inscription,  "  We  wish  you  a  prosperous  journey  and  a  safe  return 
to  us."  A  table  prettily  decorated,  was  prepared  for  lunch  on  the 
main-deck.  "God  save  the  Queen  "  having  been  played,  the  health 
of  the  Prince  was  drunk  with  Highland  honors,  the  cheers  being 
echoed  by  the  crowd  outside.  The  Prince  proposed  the  health  of 
Captain  Glyn  and  the  officers  of  the  Serapis^  to  whom  he  paid  some 
graceful  compliments,  adding  the  name  of  Commander  Durrant  of 
the  Osborne.  Captain  Glyn,  in  returning  thanks,  expressed  a  hope 
that  Major-General  Browne  would  keep  time  in  his  5000  miles' 
land  journey  with  the  Prince  as  well  as  the  Serapis  had  kept  her 
date.  As  the  Prince  bade  the  vessel  good-by,  the  crew  rushed 
up  into  the  rigging,  cheering  vociferously. 

The   Prince  was  accompanied  by  Lord  Northbrook,   Miss 


*  Bishop  Milman  died  of  a  fever  caught  in  an  episcopal  tour  through  the 
North-West  Provinces  in  a  few  weeks  afterwards. 


324  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

Baring,  and  the  members  of  his  personal  staff,  on  a  drive  to  the 
Viceregal  Lodge  at  Barrackpoor  in  the  afternoon.  The  name  is 
better  known  to  the  English  public  as  that  of  a  Station  at  which 
the  signs  and  tokens  of  a  terrible  trouble  to  come  were  first 
observed  than  as  the  pleasant  retreat  to  which  the  Viceroy  flies 
from  the  turmoil  of  Government  House  on  Saturdays,  returning 
on  Monday,  after  a  quiet  day  in  the  country,  to  his  life  of  toil. 
There  is  a  church  near  at  hand,  and  a  large  population  of  officials 
who  can  afford  to  pay  high  rents  for  their  bungalows  are  quarter- 
ed on  the  banks  of  the  river,  at  the  other  side  of  which  is  Seram- 
poor.  There  is  a  noble  park,  in  which  the  Bombax,  not  yet  in 
flower,  Casuarinas  hung  with  creepers,  Calabash  trees,  and 
many  others,  with  the  ordinary  types  of  Bengal  vegetation,  are 
seen  in  great  beauty.  Times  are  changed  since  1857.  It  has 
ceased  to  be  a  great  Station.  There  was  a  quiet  reception  in  the 
saloons  of  the  Lodge  in  the  evening. 

December  26. — After  church  the  Prince  made  an  excursion  by 
water  to  Chandernagore.  The  visit  delighted  the  residents  in 
that  pretty  settlement.  Some  time  ago  it  was  supposed  that 
France  might  be  disposed  to  exchange  it  for  an  equal  or  larger 
slice  of  land  in  extension  of  Pondicherry.  But  times  have  changed, 
and  any  proposal  of  the  kind  now  would  be,  it  is  said,  embarrass- 
ing. The  Governor  was  at  Pondicherry  attending  a  Council,  but 
the  Consul  received  the  Prince.  There  was  a  smart  guard  of 
honor  of  Sepoys,  tricolors,  and  British  flags.  A  Royal  salute 
was  fired.  The  town  band  of  Calcutta  played  "  God  save  the 
Queen ; "  and  although  it  was  not  till  Saturday  evening  that  the 
likelihood  of  the  visit  was  known,  the  Colony  turned  out  in  black 
coats  and  white  cravats.  There  was  the  inevitable  address,  of 
course,  but  it  was  short,  and  it  was  well  read  by  an  Irish  girl 
named  Wade,  whose  grace  won  complimentary  remarks  on  the 
taste  and  elegance  of  Frenchwomen.  "  Soyez  le  bienvenu  sur 
cette  terre  franchise,  qui  conservera  longtemps  le  souvenir  d'un 
si  beau  jour !."  The  President  of  the  French  Tribunal  presented 
the  French  officials.  The  vin  d'honneur  and  the  usual  toasts 
were  drunk,  after  which  the  visitors  passed  in  carriages  through 


CHANDERNAGORE.  325 

the  neat  little  town.  Chandernagore  has  been  called  an  Eastern 
Arcadia.  Certainly  some  of  its  people  are  simple  enough 
"Tiens!"  exclaimed  one  to  his  neighbor  when  his  Royal  High- 
ness proposed  the  health  of  the  President.  "  Tiens  !  le  Prince 
parle  frangais  done !  "  By  the*  time  the  Prince  returned  to  the 
Ghaut  all  Chandernagore  was  there  to  cheer  him,  and  cry.  "Vive 
le  Prince  de  Galles  !  " 

December  27. — There  was  a  heavy  dew  at  night,  and  at  dawn 
there  was  a  fog  on  the  river  which  hid  the  opposite  bank  from 
view  till  7  A.  M.  At  9  A.  M.  the  Royal  party  embarked  on  board 
the  Rhotas  and  her  attendant  floating  house.  The  Prince,  Lord 
Northbrook,  &c.,  landed  at  Chandal,  and  drove  to  Government 
House,  where  there  was  to  be  another  reception  of  Chiefs.  All 
was  ready  by  the  time  the  Prince  arrived.  The  Body  Guard  in 
their  places  ;  the  Grand  Staircase  seamed  with  a  broad  red  carpet ; 
a  guard  of  honor  of  H.  M.  4oth,  with  band  and  colors,  and  a 
glittering  of  gold  lace  under  the  portico  and  in  the  vestibule. 

At  five  minutes  to  12  A.  M.  a  salute  of  fifteen  guns;  punctual 
to  a  moment,  the  Emissaries  from  the  King  of  Burmah  drove  up 
in  handsome  carriages  and  four,  with  outriders,  to  the  entrance. 
The  Envoy-in-chief  wore  a  circular  casque  of  beaten  gold, 
surmounted  by  a  sort  of  steeple,  with. fantastic  sprouts  of  the 
same  metal.  The  members  of  the  Mission  had  casques  orna- 
mented by  flaps  of  velvet  and  gold,  and  wings  of  gold-embroidered 
velvet ;  their  figures  were  enveloped  in  heavy  folds  of  brocade. 
But  people  who  knew  what  to  look  at  were  principally  concerned 
with  their  feet.  They  wore  patent-leather  shoes  or  bottines,  and 
entered  the  presence  without  taking  them  off.  When  Sir  Douglas 
Forsyth  went  to  visit  the  King,  he  was  required  to  take  off  his 
shoes.  Henceforth  the  Court  of  Burmah  can  scarcely'  expect 
any  British  Envoy  to  forget  the  precedent  set  at  Calcutta.  No 
one  could  form  an  idea  of  the  effect  produced  by  the  interview 
on  the  Burmese  from  their  stolid  features,  closed  mouths  and 
sunken  eyes. 

At  12.15  p-  M-  tne  Maharaja  of  Punnah,  only  an  eleven-gun 
Prince,  but  a  very  splendid  person,  attended  by  the  Political 


326  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Officer,  was  received.  The  Prince  rules  a  small  jungly  State, 
with  a  population  of  183,000,  but  is  rich  in  the  possession  of  a 
diamond-field  close  to  his  capital.  He  boasts  a  pedigree  of  350 
years  of  royalty ;  is  a  Bondeela,  28  years  of  age,  and  good  look- 
ing ;  given  to  photography ;  very  willing  to  improve  his  people. 
In  his  head-dress  sparkled  numerous  samples  of  the  produce  of 
his  mines  of  great  size  and  brilliancy,  and  his  Sirdars  were  richly 
garnished  with  precious  stones  on  their  turbans,  necks,  arms,  and 
fingers.  Next  an  Embassy  from  the  Nepalese  Government  was 
announced.  It  was  led  by  Runoodeep  Sing,  Rana  Bahadoor, 
and  among  its  members  was  Bubbur  Jung,  son  of  Sir  Jung  Baha- 
door, who  is  as  fond  of  sport  as  his  father ;  rides  admirably, 
wins  or  loses  steeple-chases  and  is  quite  of  Young  Nepal.  He 
will  be  attached  as  aide-de-camp  to  the  Prince's  staff.  The  com- 
bination of  the  rakish  head-dress — a  sort  of  skull-cap  wreathed 
with  pearls  and  emeralds,  and  decorated  in  front  with  an  aigrette 
of  diamonds,  from  which  spirts  up  a  stiff  plume  or  brush  of  hair 
— with  the  scarlet  coat  and  sash  of  a  British  General  officer, 
regulation  overalls,  strapped  over  boots,  was  effective.  The 
Sirdars  wore  uniforms  like  our  artillery ;  several  had  the  Indian 
medal  and  Lucknow  clasp,  and  Colonel  Tej  Sing  had  th  2  medal 
for  the  Thibet  campaign,  of  the  details  of  which  we  1  v  very 
little  indeed. 

The  Nepalese  were  eclipsed  by  Raghbeer  Sing,  the  Raja  of 
Jheend,  and  his  followers,  not  so  much  by  any  great  wealth  of 
jewels,  as  by  the  noble  bearing  of  the  Chief  and  by  the  fine  per- 
sons of  some  of  his  Sirdars.  The  Raja  is  only  forty-two  years 
of  age,  but  his  full  beard  is  already  grey,  his  features  are  very 
handsome,  his  figure  tall,  his  manner  full  of  dignity.  A  keen 
sportsman,  a  good  soldier,  a  vigorous  administrator,  he  has 
hereditary  claims  to  the  gratitude  of  the  Imperial  Government ; 
for  it  was  his  father,  Sarup  Sing,  who  first  marched  against  the 
Delhi  mutineers  and  remained  in  camp  till  the  city  fell  ;  his 
ancestors  helped  Lord  Lake  at  the  critical  time,  and  held  fast  to 
the  British  Government  in  the  Sutlej  campaign.  He  is  only  an 
eleven-gun  Raja,  but  his  house  has  been  rewarded  by  several 


THE   MAHARAJA    OF    BENARES.  32/ 

grants  of  land.  He  was  attended  by  Captain  Lawrence.  The 
dresses  worn  by  the '  suite  were  distinctive  ;  yellow  turbans, 
pointed  at  the  side,  bound  with  fillets  of  gold  cloth  over  the  fore- 
head, aigrettes  of  diamonds,  flowing  robes  of  brocade,  and  very 
tight  pantaloons  of  white  silk.  Each  man  bore  his  sword  by  a 
belt  from  his  side,  instead  of  carrying  it  in  his  hand. 

The  Prince  received  a  visit  from  the  Maharaja  of  Benares  at 
i  p.  M.  His  Highness  was  escorted  to  and  from  Government 
House  by  cavalry,  and  there  was  a  guard  of  honor  and  band  to 
receive  him,  and  artillery  detachment  to  fire  his  salute  of 
thirteen  guns.  His  carriage  was  drawn  by  four  horses,  the 
leaders  ridden  by  postilions,  the  wheelers  driven  by  a  coachman 
on  the  box — the  effect  unusual,  but  not  at  all  distressing  to 
native  ideas.  Indeed,  the  amount  of  pain  we  cause  them  by  our 
love  of  uniformity  is  very  great.  They  like  disparity.  I  was 
told  of  a  Raja  who  was  very  much  displeased  because  a  new 
carriage  sent  from  London  made  no  noise  on  the  highway,  and 
was  only  satisfied  when  the  local  authority,  by  a  happy  thought, 
ordered  the  screws  and  bolts  of  the  springs  to  be  loosened,  and 
so  gave  room  for  the  needful  clatter  and  jingle.  The  Maharaja 
is  a  Brahmin,  with  a  900  years'  pedigree.  He  has  a  revenue  of 
8o,ooo/.  a  year,  of  which  more  than  a  quarter  (30,0007.)  is  paid 
to  the  British  Government  as  revenue.  He  is  learned,  encour- 
ages education,  and  is  gracious  in  manner.  His  position  of 
Raja  of  the  Sacred  City,  the  holy  monuments  of  which  he  has 
done  a  good  deal  to  protect,  gives  him  more  consideration  among 
the  natives  than  he  would  be  entitled  to  from  his  possessions. 
Of  him  more  hereafter — stat  nominis  umbra — but  he  is  much 
respected  by  his  own  people,  and  by  Europeans,  to  whom  he 
shows  the  greatest  hospitality.  He  was  most  anxious  that  the 
Prince  should  visit  his  shooting  grounds,  where  he  promised  good 
sport ;  but  the  programme  would  not  admit  of  it,  and  the  Prince 
expressed  his  regret  that  he  could  only  pay  him  a  short  visit  at 
his  castle  on  the  Ganges  as  he  was  on  his  way  to  Lucknow. 

The  Maharaja  of  Nahun  was  received  at  1.15  P.M.  Next 
came  the  Maharaja  of  Johore  (seventeen  guns  ;  Political  Officer, 


328  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

Captain  Gordon  ;  Secretary,  Mr.  Hole),  Chief  of  a  district  of 
20,000  square  miles  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Malayan  Penin- 
sula, above  Singapore.  His  Chiefs,  in  dress  and  face,  present  a 
compromise  between  the  Malay  and  the  native  of  Hindostan. 
Lighter  in  color,  with  round  face  and  muscular  frames,  they 
seem  as  if  they  had  fighting  powers  inside,  and  their  vicinity  to 
Perak  made  one  study  their  appearance  with  comparative  interest. 
The  Raja  affects  no  finery,  has  an  open,  frank  manner,  and  has 
travelled  much  for  an  Indian  Chief. 

By  this  time  the  most  indefatigable  worshipper  of  State 
observances,  and  the  greatest  admirer  of  the  picturesque,  had 
probably  grown  a  little  weary  of  the  uninterrupted  succession  of 
Chiefs  and  Sirdars,  and  diamonds,  emeralds,  rubies,  and  pearls 
had  begun  to  look  very  much  of  the  same  size  and  brightness. 
But  what  must  the  officers,  who  were  galloping  up  and  down 
outside,  meeting  the  Rajas  at  prescribed  distances  and  seeing 
them  of!  again,  have  thought  of  the  length  of  the  visits  ?  The 
sun  was  very  hot ;  and  even  in  the  Audience  Chamber,  where 
the  punkah  swung  to  and  fro  all  day,  the  Prince  no  doubt  felt 
grateful  for  the  additional  currents  of  air  wafted  from  the  yaks'- 
tails  and  the  fans  held  by  his  attendants.  To  say  the  truth, 
there  was,  in  the  uniformity  of  pan  and  uttur  and  regulation 
courtesies,  something  which  made  one  tire  even  of  the  sight  of 
Major  Henderson,  as  he  conducted  his  friends  to  the  presence, 
and  feel  glad  when  it  was  all  over. 

December  28. — After  receptions  naturally  come  return  visits  ;  * 
the  early  part  of  to-day  was  devoted  by  the  Prince  to  these  acts 
of  courtesy.  The  preparations  of  the  Maharaja  of  Cashmere, 
who  received  the  Prince  at  11.30  A.M.,  were  of  extraordinary 
richness.  There  was  a  tent  of  Cashmere  shawls  outside  the 
house.  The  walls  were  draped  with  shawls  of  immense  value ; 
the  floors  of  the  rooms  were  covered  with  the  finest  shawls. 
One  felt  as  if  he  were  walking  over  charming  paintings,  and 
destroying  with  Vandal  foot  works  of  great  price.  There  was  a 

*  See  Appendix. 


RETURN    VISITS.  329 

dais  shrouded  in  magnificent  shawls  at  the  end  of  the  room  ; 
there  was  a  shawl  canopy  for  the  throne  or  chairs  of  state. 
Rich  as  these  were,  the  Maharaja  and  his  Sirdars  were  richer 
still.  They  wore  robes  of  stuff  which  might  be  described  as 
being  thickened  with  a  crust  of  exceeding  fine  jewels.  From 
his  Highness  of  Cashmere's  residence  the  Prince  went  to  that  of 
the  Maharaja  of  Johore,  who  made  offerings  of  very  character- 
istic work  and  fabrics  from  the  Malay  Peninsula.  The  Maharaja 
of  Jeypoor  was  next  in  order,  and  very  splendid  in  his  presents 
and  arrangements.  After  him,  the  Prince  visited  Holkar.  The 
Prince  next  drove  to  the  residence  of  the  Maharaja  of  Jodhpoor, 
and  with  him  closed  the  list  of  return  visits  for  the  day. 

December  29. — The  Prince,  at  11.30  A.  M.,  drove  to  visit  the 
Maharaja  of  Gwalior.  Scindia  has  the  good  taste  not  to  be  too 
splendid  in  his  ornaments.  He  did  the  honors  royally ;  but 
when  the  Prince  took  his  seat,  he  made  a  very  low  salaam  with 
his  hands  clasped  together  before  he  sat  down.  The  Begum  of 
Bhopal,  who  had  a  very  striking-looking  entourage,  next  received 
a  visit.  After  her  Highness  came  the  Chief  of  Rewah,  whose 
armor-clad  Sirdars  were  the  grandest  yet  seen.  Jheend,  Punnah, 
and  others  followed,  and  then  there  was  a  welcome  drive  home 
to  rest  for  a  while. 

After  lunch  the  Prince  attended  the  Calcutta  races.  It  was 
arranged  that  an  excursion  should  be  made. by  special  train  at 
midnight  to  Goalundo,  to  have  two  days'  boar-hunting  and  snipe- 
shooting  ;  but  the  Prince  thought  it  unadvisable  to  leave 
Government  House,  as  he  had  caught  a  cold,  which  would  not 
be  improved  in  the  jungle.  He  permitted  those  of  his  suite  who 
desired  it  to  go,  and  the  famous  Tent  Club  promised  to  give 
them  excellent  sport. 

December  30. — The  Prince  invited  the  Viceroy,  Miss  Baring, 
and  a  small  party  to  lunch  on  board  the  Serapis.  It  was  what 
is  called  a  "  change,"  and  there  was,  somehow,  an  idea  of  a 
picnic  connected  with  it.  And  odd  it  was  to  think  that  not 
nine-and-ninety  years  ago  all  that  was  English  within  many  miles 
of  the  scene  of  the  little  entertainment  was  represented  by  a 


330 

handful  of  fugitives  from  the  fort  of  Calcutta,  ere  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Sooraj-ood-Dowlah,  embarked  in  a  few  small  vessels  off 
Fulta,  awaiting  anxiously  the  arrival  of  Clive  from  Madras  to 
avenge  "  the  Black  Hole,"  and,  as  it  turned  out,  to  win  Plassey 
and  to  found  an  Empire.  There  were  some  not  twenty-one  years 
ago  who  would  have  followed  the  example  of  Governor  Minchin 
and  have  escaped  from  Calcutta  if  they  could.  In  the  evening 
his  Royal  Highness  honored  Sir  A.  and  Lady  Clarke  with  his 
company  at  dinner. 

December^. — Tent-pegging — feats  of  horsemanship  by  troop- 
ers of  the  loth  Bengal  Cavalry  at  9  A.  M.  Tent-pegging  means 
riding  full  tilt  at  a  tent-peg  driven  into  the  ground  and  carrying 
it  off  on  the  point  of  the  lance.  If  any  one  thinks  it  easy  to  do 
this,  let  him  try,  remembering  that  Indian  tent-pegs  are  larger, 
longer,  and  stick  deeper  than  those  at  home.  Then  rupees  were 
put  on  the  pegs  to  be  knocked  off  by  the  Lancers.  Handker- 
chiefs were  laid  on  the  ground,  and  one  man  managed  to  take 
three  in  succession  in  the  same  gallop.  There  were  other 
exhibitions,  somewhat  of  a  circus  character,  but  that  the  horses 
were  ridden  on  the  hard  plain,  and  everything  was  done  by 
hand,  bit,  and  balance.  The  Prince  was  so  much  pleased  that 
he  gave  a  hunting-knife  to  the  best  man.  A  British  trooper 
would  have  probably  received  the  unexpected  gift  with  much 
delight  and  mauvaise  honte.  The  Towanna  man  was  able  to 
express  a  wish  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  wear  the  knife  when 
in  uniform,  and  the  wish  was  acceded  to.  The  delusions  preva- 
lent about  the  covert  sides  of  England,  that  no  men  can  ride  but 
Englishmen,  and  the  fond  faith  of  Irish  fox-hunters,  that  there  is 
no  race  in  the  world  like  the  natives  of  the  Green  Isle  for  hip- 
podamic  prowess,  might  be  somewhat  shaken  if  they  had  seen 
these  swarthy  gentlemen. 

The  Prince  returned  to  Government  House,  and  at  noon 
drove  out  with  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  General  Probyn,  Dr, 
Fayrer,  and  the  Rev.  Canon  Duckworth,  to  make  a  round  of  the 
principal  Hospitals  of  Calcutta,  from  which  he  returned  at  2  p.  M. 
At  the  Medical  Hospital  and  College,  he  was  received  by  Dr. 


THE    CHAPTER    OF    THE    STAR    OF    INDIA.  33! 

Clevege  and  the  Professors  and  native  teachers.  He  next  went 
to  the  Campbell  Hospital,  Sealdale,  where  he  was  received  by 
Dr.  Woodford.  He  then  visited  the  European  Female  Orphan 
Asylum,  and  was  conducted  over  the  establishment  by  Miss 
Clark,  the  lady  superintendent,  and  ladies  of  the  Committee. 
His  Royal  Highness  expressed  much  pleasure  at  the  healthy 
appearance  of  the  children.  At  the  Military  Hospital  he  was 
received  by  Dr.  Ray.  Lord  Napier  also  joined  the  party.  His 
Royal  Highness  expressed  himself  pleased  and  satisfied  with  all 
he  saw,  and  he  certainly  saw  a  good  deal. 

The  day  was  wound  up  with  a  Garden  Party  at  Belvedere,  a 
Dinner  at  Government  House,  and  the  Grand  Ball.  The  sport- 
ing party  returned  at  7  P.  M.  from  Goalundo  greatly  pleased. 
There  were  no  mishaps.  Seven  or  eight  boars  were  speared. 


THE  CHAPTER  OF  THE  STAR  OF  INDIA. 

January  i,  1876. — The  adjustment  of  the  relative  position 
of  the  Prince  and  of  the  Viceroy  had  caused  considerable  anx- 
iety to  good  people  at  home  before  his  Royal  Highness  set  out 
on  his  journey.  There  were  obvious  objections  to  any  person, 
however  exalted,  appearing  to  take  precedence,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  Chiefs  and  people  of  India,  of  the  representative  of  the 
Queen.  The  Viceroy  would  feel  that  he  could  not  be  the  equal 
or  the  superior  of  the  Prince.  No  ceremonial  has  such  impor- 
tance as  a  Durbar.  It  is  a  Court  reception,  in  which  each, 
according  to  his  rank,  is  brought  face  to  face  with  the  represen- 
tative of  the  Sovereign.  But  no  one  could  hold  a  Durbar  unless 
he  were  the  representative  of  the  Queen.  Eventually  it  was 
suggested — I  believe  by  Lord  Northbrook — as  a  way  of  escape 
from  these  difficulties,  that  a  Chapter  of  the  Order  of  the  Star 
of  India,  in  which  the  Prince  should  act  as  High  Commissioner, 
should  be  held  at  Calcutta  on  New  Year's  Day. 

All  fashionable  Calcutta  was  early  awake,  those  who  were  to 
be  in  attendance  being  summoned  for  7.45  A.  M.  At  the  distance 


332  THE   PRINCE   OF  WALES'    TOUR. 

of  a  mile  from  Government  House,  canvas  walls  had  been 
erected  in  a  long  parallelogram.  Along  this  were  ranged  tents 
for  the  Rajas  and  other  personages  who  were  to  take  part  in 
the  ceremony,  so  that  each  could  pass  into  his  tent,  and  remain 
there  till  it  was  time  for  him  to  take  his  place  in  the  pageant. 
Opposite  the  entrance  in  a  Chapter-tent  which  was  carpeted 
with  cloth  of  gold,  with  the  Royal  Arms  emblazoned  in  the  centre, 
was  an  elevated  dais.  Above  the  dais  a  canopy  covered  with 
light-blue  satin,  and  supported  upon  silver  pillars.  Beneath  the 
canopy  were  two  chairs,  with  silver  arms,  one  with  the  Prince  of 
Wales'  "plumes,"  the  other  with  a  "crown,"  embossed  on  the 
back.  On  each  side  of  and  behind  these  chairs,  were  tiers  of 
seats,  those  in  front  for  members  of  the  Order.  Outside  the 
tent  were  platforms  for  those  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  tickets. 
Inside  the  enclosure  were  drawn  up  the  marines  and  sailors  ot 
the  Serapis,  and  a  military  band.  On  the  left  were  infantry  ol 
the  line ;  in  front  of  the  outer  canopy  was  a  tall  flag-staff. 

At  9.10  A.  M.  the  artillery  fired  a  Royal  salute.  A  grand 
flourish  of  trumpets  announced  a  very  fine  sight.  First  came 
Native  servitors  in  liveries  of  scarlet  and  gold,  two  and  two, 
bearing  silver  maces,  spears,  and  wands  of  office.  Next  the 
Grand  Marshal  of  the  camp,  Mr.  Henvey,  and  Mr.  Secretary 
Aitchison  ;  then  the  Companions  of  the  Order,  two  and  two, 
one-half  Natives,  one-half  Europeans.  As  the  procession  en- 
tered the  Chapter-tent,  the  servitors  ranged  themselves  right 
and  left  at  the  entrance. 

Scarcely  had  the  splendor  of  the  stream  of  uniforms  and 
costumes  of  the  procession  of  the  Companions  toned  down  ere 
the  procession  of  the  Begum  of  Bhopal,  the  first  Knight  Grand 
Commander,  entered,  led  by  Colonel  Osborne,  the  Political  Offi- 
cer, preceding  eight  Sirdars.  Next  came  an  officer  bearing  quaint 
devices  on  a  silken  banner.  Her  Highness,  veiled  and  swathed  in 
brocaded  stuff  of  many  colors,  over  which  was  the  ample  light- 
blue  satin  robe,  with  white  shoulder-knots,  of  the  Order,  was 
attended  by  two  native  pages  in  very  handsome  dresses  and 
bare  feet.  Next  came  Mr.  Trevor,  the  Political  Agent,  leading 


THE  PROCESSION  OF  THE  ORDER.          333 

the  procession  of  Sir  Salar  Jung.  Eight  Sirdars,  dressed  with 
that  taste  in  the  arrangement  of  color  and  fashion  of  apparel,  the 
joy  of  artists  and  horror  of  martinets,  which  the  West  has  tried 
to  destroy  by  "  uniform,"  followed.  Sir  Salar  Jung  wore  a  small 
white  turban,  and  a  plain  caftan  of  dark  green  cloth.  His  train 
was  borne  by  two  pretty  pages,  dressed  in  green  and  gold.  In 
contrast  to  his  studied  simplicity,  came  next  the  Maharaja  of 
Puttiala,  who  wore  on  his  turban  many  fine  diamonds,  which 
were  said  to  have  once  belonged  to  the  Empress  Eugenie,  and 
the  great  Sancy  diamond  as  a  pendant.  Lord  Napier  of  Mag- 
dala  came  next.  Well  has  the  Colonel  of  Indian  Engineers, 
who  was  summoned  to  Lucknow  eighteen  years  ago  by  Colin 
Campbell,  won  his  honors.  He  took  his  seat  next  Sir  Salar 
Jung,  and  courteously  saluted  him,  the  Begum  of  Bhopal  and  the 
Maharaja  of  Puttiala,  who  sat  opposite  to  him. 

The  procession  of  the  excellent  Maharaja  of  Travancore,  who 
is  very  like  Mr.  Buckstone,  if  one  could  fancy  him  in  Oriental 
garb,  came  next.  His  Dewan  and  Sirdars  were  in  the  costume 
of  their  country,  which  is  not  so  fine  as  that  of  Central  India. 

Next  appeared  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  preceded  by  a  banner  with 
many  an  ancient  quartering,  his  train  held  by  two  midshipmen. 
The  Maharaja  of  Rewah  followed.  His  procession,  led  by  Major 
Bannerman,  consisted  of  Sirdars,  who  would  make  a  sensation 
in  a  London  or  Paris  theatre.  They  were  animated  nuggets, 
ambulatory  mines  of  jewels — one  especially,  who  wore  a  suit  of 
chain-armor,  arabesqued  breast  and  back  pieces,  jewelled  plume 
casque  of  gold  and  enamelled  gauntlets.  Rewah — reminding 
one  of  the  great  King  of  yore,  on  whose  Palace  wall  the  dread 
fingers  wrote  the  pregnant  sentence — wore  a  golden  crown, 
exquisitely  worked,  blazing  wtth  gems.  The  Maharaja  of  Jeypoor's 
procession,  headed  by  Colonel  Benyon,  included  eight  character- 
istic Thakoors  and  pages,  whose  doublets  and  trunk-hose  of  light- 
blue  satin  contrasted  admirably  with  their  dark  faces.  Next 
came  Political  Maitland,  who  headed  the  Maharaja  Holkar's 
procession.  That  burly  gentleman  looked  like  an  Indian  Henry 
VIII.  His  pages  were  in  Vandyck  brown  and  gold.  Next 


334  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

came  the  procession  of  the  Maharaj  i  of  Cashmere,  Major 
Jenkins  in  front.  Eight  most  resplendent  warriors  and  courtiers, 
finely  shawled  and  jewelled,  two  and  two,  were  eclipsed  by  the 
magnificent  Maharaja,  whose  train  was  carried  by  pages  in  green 
velvet  tunics  and  pink  turbans,  and  who  bore  the  ransom  of  a 
kingdom  on  his  person.  Last,  Colonel  Hutchinson  appeared  at 
the  head  of  Maharaja  Scindia's  procession.  Brilliant  as  was  the 
gorgeous  Chief  of  'Gwalior,  the  Europeans,  at  least,  were  not 
inclined  to  bestow  on  him  much  attention,  for  the  Prince  was 
now  advancing.  His  household  and  officers  in  two  lines  pre- 
ceded him.  The  Prince  wore  white  helmet  and  plume,  and 
Field-Marshal's  uniform,  almost  concealed  beneath  the  folds  of 
his  sky-blue  satin  mantle.  His  train  was  carried  by  naval 
cadets,  Messrs.  Grimston  and  Walshe,  "  blue  boys,"  in  cavalier 
hats  and  wigs,  blue  satin  cloaks,  tunics,  trunk-hose,  and 
resetted  shoes  ;  pretty  to  look  at,  but  decidedly  anachronous, 
for  the  Order  cannot  claim  any  cavalier  associations — but  pages 
must  be  pages.  The  Prince  took  his  seat  on  the  dais,  the  Band 
playing  "  God  save  the  Queen,"  all  standing.  The  Viceroy 
ordered  the  Secretary  to  read  the  roll  of  the  Order.  Mr  Aitchi- 
son  did  so.  Each  member  stood  up  as  his  name  was  called, 
bowed,  and  sat  down.  The  Chapter  was  then  declared  open ; 
the  Secretary  reported  the  business  to  be  the  investiture  of  the 
persons  named  in  a  warrant,  directing  the  Prince  to  invest  them, 
from  the  Queen,  dated  Balmoral,  October  25th,  1875.  The 
Viceroy  and  the  members  of  the  Order  rose,  bowed  to  the  Prince, 
and  sat  down.  The  Prince  then  received  from  the  Secretary 
the  grants  of  the  several  dignities,  which  were  handed  to  a  page. 
He  directed  "  the  investiture  to  proceed." 

First,  the  Maharaja  of  Jodhpoor  was  conducted  from  the 
tent  in  which  he  had  been  robed  to  the  presence ;  the  Under- 
secretary bearing  the  insignia  on  a  blue  satin  and  velvet  cushion. 
He  was  met  at  the  entrance  of  the  Chapter-tent  by  two  junior 
Knights,  and  led  up  to  the  footstool  of  the  Prince  by  Mr.  Aitch- 
ison,  who  held  him  firmly  by  the  hand,  and  indicated  when  he 
was  to  bow,  kneel,  walk  backwards,  and  sit  down.  After  the 


THE    CEREMONY.  335 

Queen's  grant  had  been  read,  the  Maharaja,  having  been  decora- 
ted with  a  Knight's  riband,  badges,  star,  and  robes,  stood  before 
the  dais.  He  made  two  obesiances,  and  knelt.  The  Prince 
then  placed  the  collar  of  the  Order  round  his  neck,  and  admon- 
ished him  in  prescribed  form.  Seventeen  guns  were  fired.  The 
Maharaja  then  rose,  and,  instructed  by  Mr.  Aitchison,  was  led 
backwards,  bowing  with  his  face  to  the  dais,  towards  the  seat 
reserved  for  him.  There  his  banner  was  unfurled  to  a  flourish 
of  trumpets,  all  standing.  The  Secretary  proclaimed  the  titles 
of  the  newly-made  Knight  Grand  Commander,  and  all  resumed 
their  seats.  The  account  of  one  investiture  must  do  for  all. 
The  Raja  of  Jheend  was  invested  as  G.  C.  S.  I.  The  investiture 
of  the  Knights  Commanders,  Mr.  Robinson,  the  Maharaja  of 
Punna,  Raja  Mahun  Kasee  (Holkar's  brother),  Major-General 
Ramsay,  General  Runodeep  Sing  (Nepalese),  Gunput  Rao,  and 
Faiz  Ali  Khan,  followed.  Mr.  Robinson  and  Major-General 
Ramsay  were  also  knighted.  Mr.  Chapman,  Mr.  Bullen  Smith, 
and  Baboo  Degumber  Mitter,  received  the  badges  of  the  Com- 
panionship, or  third  class  of  the  Order.  Then  announcement 
was  made  by  the  Secretary  that  no  more  business  remained. 
The  Prince  desired  the  Chapter  to  be  closed.  As  the  Prince 
emerged  from  the  comparative  darkness  of  the  Durbar  tent  to  the 
sound  of  a  grand  march,  played  by  the  military  band,  a  Royal 
salute  was  fired,  and  the  guard  of  honor  presented  arms.  The  spec- 
tacle of  the  procession  leaving  was  by  far  the  most  picturesque 
part  of  the  pageant.  The  Viceroy,  the  Grand  Crosses,  and  the 
Grand  Knights  Commanders  and  Companions  following  in  re- 
verse order  of  their  entry.  The  pomp  of  elephants,  the  noisy 
cavalcade  of  Eastern  ceremonial  were  wanting,  and  there  was 
no  token  of  the  public  interest  such  a  grand  spectacle  would 
arouse  on  the  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  any  European  capital. 

As  the  Prince  was  going  back  to  Government  House,  a  na- 
tive rushed  towards  the  carriage.  The  Prince  perceived  that  he 
held  a  paper  in  both  hands,  and  was  not  at  all  perturbed.  It 
was  a  petition.  The  natives  have  an  idea  that  if  one  can  give  a 
petition  into  the  Prince's  hands,  redress  of  grievances  is  certain. 


336  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

In  the  afternoon  the  Prince,  accompanied  by  the  Viceroy, 
unveiled  an  equestrian  statue  of  Lord  Mayo  oh  the  Maidan,  near 
Government  House.  The  Prince  expressed  his  melancholy 
satisfaction  at  unveiling  the  statue  of  one  whom  he  had  been  proud 
to  call  his  friend,  and  who  would  have  left  a  great  name  among 
Indian  Viceroys  had  he  lived.  On  behalf  of  the  widow,  children, 
and  friends  of  Lord  Mayo,  he  thanked  the  Committee  for  what 
they  had  done  in  honor  of  his  memory.  After  this  ceremony, 
the  Prince  put  on  plain  clothes,  and  drove  to  the  Race-course 
with  the  Viceroy,  to  witness  a  polo-match — an  exciting  contest 
between  the  Calcutta  and  Munipuri  players  ;  the  former  big  men, 
on  well-fed,  well-groomed  ponies  ;  the  latter  light  men,  on  ragged, 
poor-looking  tats.  The  contest  was  rendered  equal  by  the  skill 
of  the  Munipuri  men.  The  Prince  next  went  to  the  display  of 
fireworks  on  the  Race-course,  which  were  not  quite  equal  to  ex- 
pectation ;  but  the  spectacle  of  tens  of  thousands  of  faces  lighted 
up  by  mortars,  rockets,  and  colored  fires,  was  worth  seeing. 
After  the  Royal  party  left  the  Race-stand  an  immense  explosion 
occurred  among  the  fireworks,  but  no  one  was  hurt ;  and  it  great- 
ly pleased  the  people,  who  thought  it  was  part  of  the  entertain- 
ment. At  7  P.  M.  the  Prince  drove  off  to  see  the  fleet  illuminated, 
and  more  fireworks  were  discharged  from  the  ships ;  and  after 
dinner  he  proceeded  to  the  theatre,  where  there  was  a  State 
night  by  Viceregal  command.  But  not  even  the  attractions  of 
the  Prince's  presence  and  of  Mr.  Charles  Mathews'  acting  could 
fill  the  house,  and  the  chiefs  who  were  expected  to  pay  ioo/.  for 
a  box  did  not  avail  themselves  as  largely  of  the  opportunity  as 
the  beneficiaire  expected.  Sir  Salar  Jung,  the  Maharaja  of  Rewah, 
and  one  or  two  more,  however,  did  their  best  to  appreciate  "  My 
Awful  Dad."  The  Veteran  comedian  was  received  with  great 
applause  by  the  English  speaking  part  of  the  audience,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  piece  he  was  sent  for  and  congratulated  by  the 
Prince  The  play-bill  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix. 

January  2. — The  Prince,  Viceroy,  and  party  went  to  church 
at  Fort  William,  and  subsequently  visited  the  Arsenal,  where 
there  is  a  collection  of  arms  in  good  order.  In  the  afternoon  a 


POLO    PLAYING. 


337 


steamer  conveyed  the  Royal  party  to  the  Botanical  Gardens. 
They  drove  back  through  Howrah,  which  was  brilliantly  illumina- 
ted, and  halted  at  the  Bishop's  College,  on  the  way.  There  was 
a  concert  of  sacred  music  after  dinner,  by  amateurs  of  great 
excellence,  at  Government  House. 

Januarv  3. — Before  8  A.  M.  the  Prince,  attended  by  General 
Probyn  and  a  few  gentlemen,  left  Government  House,  on  horse- 
back, to  see  the  i8th  Bengal  Cavalry  exhibit  their  excellence  in 
tent-pegging,  feats  of  swordsmanship,  and  the  like.  There  was 
not  only  tent-pegging,  but  a  polo-match  between  five  British 


MUNIPURI    POLO    PLAYER. 

champions  and  five  Munipuri  men.  The  latter  scored  five  goals, 
to  the  astonishment  of  some  of  the  spectators,  who  did  not  think 
it  fair  that  an  Englishman  should  be  beaten  at  any  sport  by  a 
native  ;  but  polo  is  the  national  sport  of  the  Munipuris.  These 
active  little  gentleman  would  cut  but  a  poor  figure  on  their  tats 
at  a  fox  hunt.  There  was  a  regatta  on  the  Hooghly  at  2  o'clock. 
15  22 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

It  must  be  an  unkindly  river  for  a  regatta  ;  the  tide,  up  or  down, 
races  strongly,  and  although  there  is  now  no  risk  of  fouling  a 
dead  Hindoo,  the  stream  is  not  cleanly  to  look  upon.  The 
Prince  created  Mr.  Stuart  Hogg,  the  Chief  Commissioner  of 
Police,  a^Knight  Bachelor;  and,  if  it  were  any  satisfaction  to 
that  gentleman  to  put  "Sir"  before  his  name,  he  had  also  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  had  well  earned  the  prefix  by 
his  work  during  the  Royal  visit.  When  "Sir  Stuart"  Hogg 
had  been  made  and  created,  the  Prince  prepared  for  increment 
of  his  own  honors,  and  was  presented  in  due  form  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Calcutta  with  the  degree  of  Doctor,  "  honoris  causa," 
with  immense  acclamation.  The  paraphernalia  of  an  English 
University  seem  out  of  place  here  ;  hoods,  caps,  stoles,  gowns, 
are  rather  hot,  but  nevertheless  they  are  appreciated ;  and  the 
native  graduates  did  not  look  at  all  amiss  in  cap  and  gown,  sur- 
plice and  robes.  Left  to  themselves,  the  natives  would  very 
probably  lie  prone  on  their  stomachs,  sub  tegmine  fagi,  or  its 
substitute,  listening  to  some  ragged  pundit  or  mollah,  or  sit  on 
their  hams  around  their  teacher  in  tumble-down  temple  or  mosque. 
How  it  came  about  I  do  not  exactly  know,  but  it  is  probable 
that  the  Prince  expressed  a  wish  to  see  the  zenana  of  some 
respectable  native,  and  that  the  wish  was  made  known  to  the 
worthy  Hindoo  of  Bhawanipore,  Mr.  Mookerjee,  who  was  only 
too  happy  to  gratify  it  to-day.  Miss  Baring,  Lady  Temple,  Miss 
Milman,  Lady  Stuart  Hogg,  and  others,  had,  perhaps,  some  part 
in  the  pour-parlers.  There  were  hundreds  of  children  assembled 
to  see  the  Prince  arrive  ;  most  of  the  little  ladies  held  pretty 
bouquets,  with  which,  out  of  loyal  devotion,  to  pelt  the  Prince. 
These  children  may  develop  into  Hindoo  Bloomers,  and  establish 
Women's  Rights'  Associations,  unless  their  wild  shrieks  of  liberty 
be  silenced  in  the  leaden  flood  of  caste  and  custom  which  has 
drowned  so  much  thought  and  life  in  India  century  after  century. 
Instead  of  salutes  and  flourishes,  or  bell-pulling,  the  Hindoos  use 
conchsto  announce  the  arrival  of  guests  ;  the  noise  of  these  natural 
horns  makes  one  rejoice  that  he  is  not  among  the  Tritons.  These 
were  sounded  often  and  long,  for  there  were  false  alarms  of  the 
Prince's  coming;  but  at  last  his  carriage  came  in  sight,  and 


THE   DEPARTURE    OF    THE    PRINCE.  339 

there  was  much  conch  blowing.  His  Royal  Highness  did  not 
appear  in  the  splendid  attire  which  Mrs.  Mookerjee  and  her 
fair  friends,  no  doubt,  thought  a  Prince  should  wear.  Whether 
Baboo  Jagadanund  Mookerjee  will  ever  get  over  the  wrath  of 
his  co-religionists  for  the  doings  of  this  day,  time  only  can  show. 
There  is  one  fact  revealed  by  the  manner  in  which  the  occurence 
was  accepted  by  those  concerned  :  Hindoo  ladies,  at  all  events, 
do  not  consider  strict  seclusion  at  all  essential  to  their  happiness. 
But  it  is  dangerous  to  argue  from  a  particular  to  the  universal, 
and  so  it  will  be  safer,  perhaps,  to  say  that  some  Hindoo  ladies 
do  not  dislike  being  seen — at  all  events,,  by  a  Prince  of  Wales. 

The  delightful  visit  to  Calcutta  was  over.  In  the  noble 
reception-rooms  of  Government  House  there  was  one  more 
gathering  of  notables  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  Prince  before 
his  departure.  Certainly  no  host  could  have  done  the  honors  of 
his  house  with  greater  taste  and  with  more  success  than  Lord 
Northbrook.  The  route  from  the  Government  House  was  lined 
with  troops  and  people  ;  and  the  Station,  beautifully  prepared 
for  the  departing  guest,  was  like  a  scene  in  a  Christmas  panto- 
mine.  The  cortege  was  half  an  hour  late  in  arriving  at  Howrah, 
but  the  parting  of  the  Prince  from  Lord  Northbrook  was  not 
shorn  of  one  pleasant  word  or  kindly  expression,  and  there  were 
no  doubt  many  there  who  bade  each  other  farewell  with  sincere 
regret,  albeit  the  cares  of  ceremony  rather  clip  the  wings  of 
friendship.  The  strains  of  the  military  band  were  drowned  in 
the  cheers  and  voices  wishing  "  God  speed ! "  as  the  train 
moved  from  the  platform.  The  manner  c£  utilizing  the  Royal 
special  train  as  a  dormitory  is  now  commended  by  much  experi- 
ence. Th'i  4>n!y  loss  the  traveller  suffers  is  that  of  such  scenery 
as  may  be  paired  when  he  is  comfortably  asleep. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  state  here,  as  I  have  not  clone  so  be- 
fore, that  ?.t  Bombay,  Poonah,  Ceylon,  Madras,  and  Calcutta 
the  Pnntc's  bounty  has  been  largely  bestowed  on  the  poor  and 
needy,  and  on  the  charities  which  needed  aid.  The  demands 
on  the  Royal  purse — many  from  European  institutions — have 
been  very  heavy  and  very  various,  and  the  donations  made  in  the 
Bourse  of  the  journey  already  come  to  a  large  sum. 


PRINCE  LOUIS   HANSELS  THE  GAINEE-CART. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Bankipoor — The  Famine  officers — A  great  Satrap — Patna — Benares — A 
grand  Camp — The  last  of  the  Tartars — Visit  to  the  Raja  of  Viziana- 
gram — Ramnagar — Fyzabad — The  "  Martiniere  " — Monument  of  the 
Faithful  among  the  Faithless — Native  Entertainment  in  the  Kaiserbagh 
— Broken  Collar-bones — Native  Lucknow — Cawnpoor  Well  and  Memo- 
rial. 

JANUARY  4.  —  At  the  Bankipoor  Station,  which  we  reached 
early  in  the  morning,  there  was  a  short  halt  for  breakfast  and 
change  of  dress.  The  Prince  was  received  by  Sir  R.  Temple, 
the  officers,  civil  and  military,  of  the  district,  and  a  vast  con- 
course of  people  ;  salutes,  guards  of  honor,  "  God  save  the 
Queen."  But  the  feature  of  the  reception  was  the  well-equipped 
corps  of  mounted  Volunteers  (the  Behar  Riflemen)  furnished  by 
the  planters  and  residents,  whose  appearance  belied  the  evil 
reputation  of  the  climate.  Troops  and  police  lined  the  road 
from  the  Station  to  the  Camp,  which  was  pitched  on  a  plain, 

34C 


THE    FAMINE    LEVEE.  34! 

not  very  far  from  Patna,  the  ancient  Palibothra,  capital  of  the 
famous  State — now  a  district  (Behar)  given  up  to  opium  and 
indigo — to  which  Megasthenes  was  sent  as  envoy  by  Seleucus, 
when  little  was  known  about  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  by  the 
most  learned. 

Sir  Richard  Temple  had  made  preparations  to  show  what  a 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal  could  do.  His  Court,  if  not 
equal  in  splendor  to  that  of  the  Viceroy,  satisfied  the  spectator 
that  he  was  a  satrap  of  no  ordinary  magnitude  and  magnificence. 
Here  was  the  crowning  glory,  not  of  his  life — for  he  is  young, 
ambitious,  and  able  enough  to  look  for  greater  honors — but  of 
his  career  as  a  conqueror  in  the  Famine  Campaign.  He  had 
assembled  the  generals,  officers,  and  privates  of  the  vast  army 
which  had  been  engaged  as  his  instruments,  to  be  presented  to 
the  Prince  of  Wales. 

Considering  that  there  are,  it  is  said,  less  than  100,000  Euro- 
peans in  India,  it  was  surprising  to  see  what  an  assembly  of 
ladies,  in  most  charming  bonnets  and  most  correct  costumes, 
were  waiting  to  welcome  him.  The  avenue  to  the  Durbar  tent 
was  lined  by  nearly  four  hundred  elephants,  caparisoned  with 
great  richness,  the  howdahs  filled  with  people  in  gala  dresses.  The 
great  multitude — Europeans  on  one  side  of  the  way  and  natives 
on  the  other — was  loyal  and  picturesque  ;  the  loyalty  of  the 
Europeans  expressed  by  cheers,  waving  of  handkerchiefs,  play- 
ing of  bands,  and  discharges  of  cannon  ;  the  picturesqueness 
afforded  by  Rajas,  Nawabs,  and  natives  of  inferior  dignity.  The 
Durbar  marquee  was  a  very  spacious  and  stately  but  gaudy  erec- 
tion of  canvas,  hung  with  chandeliers.  Patna  is  supposed  to 
contain  a  good  deal  of  disaffection  and  of  religious  fanaticism 
which  are  encouraged  by  the  presence  of  certain  Mohammedan 
teachers  ;  and  ithas  been  found  necessary,  I  believe,  to  lock  up 
a  good  many  people  whose  pronounced  opinions,  or  previous 
history,  were  of  a  nature  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  authorities. 

When  the  Prince  had  taken  his  place  on  the  elevated  dais 
under  the  canopy,  whereon  was  placed  a  regal  chair,  the  levee 
began,  those  distinguished  by  their  exertions  in  the  time  of 


342  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

trouble  being  specially  presented  ;  but  the  anxiety  of  Sir  Richard 
Temple  to  give  information  concerning  the  remarkable  per- 
sonages— and  his  personal  knowledge  seemed  to  be  universal — 
had  an  effect  which  he  did  not  anticipate ;  for  the  gracious  bow 
was  not  always  given  to  the  owner  of  the  name  for  which  it  was 
intended.  .That  may  seem  but  a  small  matter,  but  think  of  the 
anxiety  of  those  who  were  looking  forward  to  that  recognition  as 
their  great  reward,  and  of  their  chagrin  when  they  found  that 
their  identity  was  not  marked  !  There  were  Rajas  and  Zemindars 
of  repute  among  the  natives  ;  and  although  now  and  then  the 
"  locals  "  might  be  heard  muttering,  "  The  old  rascal  ought  to 
have  been  hanged  in  '58  !  "  or,  "  One  of  the  most  seditious  fel- 
lows in  Behar !  "  generally  they  were  well  spoken  of. 

The  levee  was  followed  by  a  dejeuner  in  a  very  fine  and  lofty 
shamianah.  The  wives  and  families  of  the  planters,  and  of  the 
European  residents  generally  were  invited,  and  had  full  oppor- 
tunity to  see  the  Prince,  as  he  sat  at  a  slightly-elevated  table  at 
the  end,  with  Sir  R.  Temple  by  his  side.  The  health  of  "  the 
Queen  "  was  given,  and  then  that  of  the  Prince,  which  was  re- 
ceived with  great  enthusiasm. 

After  this  toast,  the  Prince  proceeded  to  look  at  a  panther 
offered  by  the  sergeants  of  the  lOQth  regiment.  The  three  hun- 
dred and  eighty  elephants  then  passed  in  procession,  and  the 
Prince  was  amused  at  one  very  merry  little  fellow,  who  hopped 
about,  danced,  and  waved  his  trunk  in  a  comical  manner. 
Amongst  the  gifts  was  a  pair  of  very  beautiful  little  oxen,  not  as 
large  as  Shetland  ponies,  which  drew  a  light  carriage  like  an 
artillery  limber.  They  were  not  easy  to  drive  by  those  not  to 
the  manner  born,  as  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg  found  when  he 
made  gallant  essay  to  direct  them.  After  an  agreeable  halt  of 
three  hours,  the  Prince  returned  to  the  Station.- 

From  Bankipoor  to  Benares  the  country  is  flat  but  not  quite 
uninteresting.  It  was  disappointing  to  observe  that  in  eighteen 
years  no  change  had  been  made  in  the  appearance  of  the  people 
or  of  their  dwellings.  The  weather  is  cold  at  night,  and  it  was 
pitiable  to  see  people  here  with  their  heads  muffled  up,  at  the 


A    GRAND    CAMP.  343 

expense  of  their  brown  legs,  in  a  thin  cotton  cloth  ;  a  piece  of 
calico  was  all  their  covering.  They  are  no  better  off  than  the 
dwellers  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  In  Egypt  they  are  not  harassed 
by  cold  at  least ;  and  a  loin  cloth  and  a  skull  cap  are  ample  for 
the  fellah's  wants.  The  officials  say  these  people  are  rich. 
There  is  always  a  story  of  wealth  stored  up  in  holes  and  corners 
— so  they  tell  one  in  Egypt.  But  railway  observations  are  not 
safe  guides  to  knowledge,  pro  or  con.,  on  any  subject.  It  was 
nearly  dark  when  the  Royal  train  reached  Rajghaut,  the  Station 
of  Benares,  but  there  was  enough  of  light  to  give  an  ideal 
grandeur  to  those  marvellous  ghauts  which  have  furnished  so 
many  subjects  for  the  artist's  pencil  and  the  traveller's  descrip- 
tive powers.  And,  truth  to  tell,  these  terraces  descending  from 
Temples,  Palaces,  and  Choultries  to  the  river's  edge,  look  better 
through  a  medium  of  haze  or  moonlight  than  they  do  in  the 
"garish  light  of  day."  The  cortege  drove  over  the  bridge  of 
boats  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Ganges,  and  so  through  streets 
and  roadways,  the  sides  of  which  were  crowded  with  people,  out 
to  the  camp  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor.  The  camp  was  enclosed 
by  walls  of  canvas  ;  the  row  of  fourteen  tents  on  the  left  was 
faced  by  another  row  of  the  same  number.  The  main  street, 
1000  feet  along  and  230  feet  broad,  was  bounded  at  the  end  by 
the  Durbar  tents,  on  the  left  of  which  was  a  separate  enclosure, 
200  feet  square.  This  contained  drawing-room,  bedroom,  dress- 
ing-room, Equerry's  room,  a  room  for  Lord  Suffield,  another  for 
Mr.  Knollys,  two  for  personal  attendants,  and  a  tent  for  the 
guard — each  room  a  large  tent.  They  were  all  prettily  furnished 
and  decorated,  the  floors  covered  with  rich  carpets ;  a  covered 
way  led  from  the  drawing-room  to  the  tent  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  which  was  70  feet  long  by  30  feet  broad.  Covered 
ways  led  from  this  saloon  to  a  dinner  tent.  The  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  Sir  John  Strachey,  Lady  Strachey,  and  family,  lodged 
in  tents  to  the  right  of  the  dinner-room.  Each  tent  had  a  lamp 
in  front,  and  the  numbers  and  names  were  inscribed  outside. 
Enter  your  own,  and  you  find  a  charming  carpeted  quadrangle, 
divided  into  a  bedroom  and  sitting-room,  with  a  fireplace  in 


344  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

which  are  blazing  logs  and  glowing  coals — not  at  all  superfluous 
in  this  Indian  winter — and,  moreover,  lights,  tables,  chairs,  and 
every  comfort  a  Rechabite  of  the  most  luxurious  nature  could 
desire — soft  bed,  and  large  bath,  and  ample  space  for  life  ; 
smaller  tents  for  servants  within  call,  a  complete  establishment 
of  attendants — plans  of  the  camp — directions  as  to  postal  and 
telegraphic  arrangements — rules  to  be  observed  in  case  of  fire — 
clothes  all  ready  laid  out  for  dinner,  of  which  the  Camp  bell  and 
bugle  give  warning.  The  lamps  and  lights  give  one  the  idea  of 
a  busy  street  in  high  festivity ;  and  when  the  company  are 
seated  in  the  great  tent,  which  is  brilliant  as  a  London  ball- 
room, and  one  thinks  that  a  few  miles  away  there  is  a  city  of 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  people  who  would  think  it  contamina- 
tion to  sit  at  the  well-spread  table,  you  understand  how  wide  is 
the  chasm  which  separates  the  life  of  the  governing  and  the 
governed. 

January  5. — The  Municipality  of  Benares  presented  an 
address  at  12.30  p.  M.  They  welcomed  the  Prince  to  the  most 
sacred  city  of  the  Hindoos,  justly  regarded  and  famous  as  the 
seat  of  their  religion,  philosophy,  and  learning,  and  associated 
from  time  immemorial  in  their  minds  with  all  that  was  pure  and 
holy  in  their  faith.  Thousands  of  the  devout  annually  assembled 
to  worship  there,  maintaining  under  British  rule  the  fullest  free- 
dom of  their  rites  and  ceremonies.  They  recognized  in  the 
Queen  qualities  as  great  as  those  of  the  Monarchs  of  Benares 
commemorated  in  the  Hindoo  epic,  the  "  Mahabharatam."  They 
thanked  her  Majesty  for  the  personal  assurance  she  had  given  of 
her  interest  in  India,  conveyed  by  the  Prince's  presence,  and 
they  watched  his  progress  with  unflagging  interest.  The  Prince 
replied  that  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  be  thus  received  in  the 
centre  of  all  the  nations  and  people  of  Hindoo  origin,  and  to 
hear  from  those  who  knew  them  so  well  the  feelings  of  their 
countrymen  in  all  parts  of  India  that  under  the  British  adminis- 
tration they  enjoyed  in  the  fullest  freedom  rites  of  worship 
according  to  the  usages  of  their  faith,  and  that  privilege  which 
was  highly  appreciated,  perfect  toleration.  He  would  convey  to 


THE    LAST    OF    THE   TARTARS.  345 

the  Queen  their  expressions  of  loyalty  and  gratitude.  He  was 
convinced  it  would  give  her  sincere  pleasure  to  learn  that  they 
appreciated  the  peace,  contentment,  and  prosperity  they  en- 
joyed. 

Before  the  Prince  left  Camp  to-day  there  was  an  incident 
which  deserves  mention  though  it  attracted  little  notice.  "  From 
an  early  hour"  (as  the  chroniclers  of  the  time  have  it),  "six 
natives — venerable  in  aspect,  not  over  splendid  in  attire,  but 
bearing  themselves  like  men  conscious  that  they  were  not  of 
common  clay,  might  have  been  observed  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Royal  quarters."  The  address  by  Mr.  Carmichael  on  presenting 
them  will  explain  better  than  any  words  of  mine  who  they  were, 
and  the  reason  of  their  presence.  He  said  : — 

"The  six  gentlemen  whom  I  present  to  your  Royal  Highness,  Mirza 
Mahomed  Sneed  Bukht,  alias  Peary  Sahib,  Mozuffer  Bukht,  Nadir  Bukht, 
Mouzoodeen  Bukht,  Rahemoodeen  Bukht,  Mahomed  Mohsur  Bukht,  are 
lineal  descendants  of  Mirza  Jehan  dar  Shah,  heir  apparent  to  Shah  Alum,  the 
last  independent  King  of  Delhi  and  of  the  Timour  dynasty ! 

"  Shah  Alum  was  desirous  that  his  second  son  (called,  when  he  reigned, 
Akbar  Shah  Saiee)  should  succeed  to  the  throne.  Hence  a  bitter  feud  arose 
between  Jehandar  Shah,  the  eldest  son,  and  his  father,  and  the  former  had  to 
take  refuge  first  at  the  Court  of  Lucknow,  where  a  stipend  was  assigned  to 
him  for  his  maintenance  by  the  Oudh  Government,  and  later,  in  1788,  the 
British  Government  gave  him  and  his  family  an  asylum  at  Benares,  making 
over  to  them  for  their  residence  the  extensive  range  of  buildings  on  the  river 
face,  called  Shivala  Ghat,  and  which  had  been  sequestered  for  the  rebellion 
of  Cheyt  Singh.  The  Prince  Jehandar  Shah  died  in  May  of  the  same  year, 
and  his  descendants  have  since  lived  on  the  bounty  of  the  British  Government. 
As  they  have  increased  in  numbers  (the  stipends  which  were  many  of  them 
personal)  have  necessarily  but  ill  sufficed  for  their  maintenance.  They  are 
therefore  in  anything  but  comfortable  circumstances,  but  still  maintain  their 
dignity,  and  are  universally  respected.  They  have  ever  been  most  loyal  and 
grateful  to  the  British  Government  for  its  protection  and  support. 

I  am  told  that  the  buildings  in  which  they  live  are  tumbling 
about  their  ears  ;  and  that  poor  as  the  owners  are,  they  have  de- 
pendents still  poorer,  who  swarm  around  the  place.  Chanty  thrives 
in  India.  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan  have  vied  with  each  other 
in  past  times  in  works  which  good  political  economists  would 


346  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

assure  them  were  of  evil  influence  on  society  ;  and  the  foundations 
for  keeping  in  idleness,  if  not  in  competence,  men,  women,  and 
children,  which  are  so  common,  attest  the  greatness  of  their 
liberality  and  largeness  of  their  sympathies. 

After  a  levee  for  the  district,  European  and  Native,  the  Prince 
laid  the  foundation-stone  of  a  new  Subscription  Hospital  in 
Benares,  halting  on  the  way  to  hear  the  native  pupils  of  the 
College,  under  the  care  of  the  Church  Mission,  sing,  which  they 
did  very  prettily. 

The  Prince  then  visited  the  Raja  of  Vizianagram,  and  inspect- 
ed the  Town-hall,  which  has  been  built  by  the  Raja  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh's  visit.  Thence  the  Prince  pro- 
ceeded to  the  famous  Temples.  It  was  necessary  to  walk  to  these 
edifices,  as  the  streets  are  so  narrow  that  it  is  with  difficulty  one 
can  make  room  for  the  Sacred  Bulls,  which  may  be  met  at  any 
moment  taking  a  constitutional  walk.  To  guard  against  the  pos- 
sibility of  insult,  and  to  prevent  the  crowding  and  "  mobbing  " 
which  are  not  unusual  where  the  visit  of  a  Royal  person  is  not 
quite  so  great  a  novelty,  the  buildings  were  cleared. 

The  Golden  Temple  and  the  Sacred  Pool  (which  is  a  foul 
pool,  covered  with  green  scum,  and  emitting  poisonous  vapors 
of  sulphuretted  hydrogen),  were  duly  inspected.  These  and  the 
Great  Temple  of  Ganesa,  on  ordinary  occasions  are  thronged  with 
priests,  fakirs,  pilgrims,  devotees  from  all  parts  of  India?  but 
they  were  now  carefully  swept  of  "the  perilous  stuff,"  and  there 
were  only  a  few  trusty  Brahmins  to  exhibit  the  shrines,  bulls, 
and  holy  places,  under  the  guardianship  of  a  strong  body  of 
police.  The  shops,  where  they  sell  the  infinite  varieties  of  brass 
idols,  and  flowers  which  are  offered  to  the  deities,  were  open. 
Among  prints  on  the  walls  was  recognized,  not  without  merriment, 
the  portrait  of  a  celebrated  French  actress,  who  might  be  doing 
duty  for  the  terrible  helpmate  of  Shiva.  Along  the  passages 
were  stalls  for  the  sale  of  the  appropriate  offerings  to  the  god. 
It  is  strange  that  people  under  the  influence  of  this  faith  should 
be  mild  and  tolerant — that  the  female  population  should  be 
remarkable  for  the  exercise  of  every  domestic  virtue — chaste, 


RAMNAGAR.  347 

faithful,  devoted  to  their  children.  Of  their  tolerance  the  best 
proof  is  afforded  by  their  indulgence  of  the  missionaries  who  lift 
their  voices  aloud  against  their  idolatries  under  the  shadows  of 
the  Temples. 

The  Prince  drove  thence  to  the  Dourga  Khound,  in  the  sub- 
urbs. The  monkeys  cluster  all  over  the  pinnacles  and  ornaments 
of  the  Temple,  which  is  painted  with  red  ochre  to  imitate  the 
color  of  blood.  They  are  very  ugly  impudent  monkeys — red- 
haired,  plump,  and  filthy.  Too  much  familarity  has  bred  in 
them  contempt  for  men,  and  they  menaced  the  strangers  with 
chattering  and  open  mouths  ;  but  when  they  saw  that  their  at- 
tendant priests  were  full  of  civility,  and  were  preparing  to  feast 
them  with  parched  grain  and  small  parcels  of  sweetmeats,  they 
came  swarming  down  to  the  ground  to  the  number  of  a  hundred 
and  fifty  or  two  hundred,  old  and  young,  to  partake  of  the  offerings. 

Shortly  before  sunset  the  Prince  embarked  in  a  handsome 
galley,  with  two  sea-horses  at  the  bow,  which  was  towed  by  a 
steamer  to  the  old  fort  of  Ramnagar,  four  miles  up  the  Ganges, 
where  the  Maharaja  of  Benares  received  the  Prince  on  a  canopied 
and  garlanded  landing-stage.  It  was  the  grandest  and  most 
characteristic  reception  possible.  The  river-bank  was  blazing 
with  the  twittering  vifeuxdejoie;  the  air  lighted  up  by  the  dis- 
charges of  artillery  from  the  ancient  parapets  ;  the  battlements 
of  the  fort  were  illuminated.  Silver  flambeaux  and  torches  were 
held  by  people  on  parapets,  walls  and  river-banks,  which  were 
as  light  as  day.  Preceded  by  mace-bearers,  spearsmen,  and 
banners,  the  Prince  and  the  Maharaja  were  borne  in  gold  and 
silver  chairs,  on  men's  shoulders,  up  the  ascent  from  the  river 
to  the  castle  gate,  between  lines  of  matchlockmen  and  cavalry. 
Elephants,  accompanied  by  wild  music,  marched  on  the  left, 
shootee  sowars  rode  on  the  right.  Before  the  massive  gateway, 
flanked  by  men  in  chain-armor,  the  Maharaja's  infantry  present- 
ed arms.  There  in  the  courtyard  was  a  line  of  elephants,  bear- 
ing gold  and  silver  howdahs.  In  another  courtyard  were 
assembled  the  retainers  and  the  officials  of  the  household,  who 
received  the  Royal  visitor  with  profound  salaams.  The  Mahara- 


THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

aja  led  the  Prince  up  stairs,  where,  after  the  usual  presentations 
and  a  short  conversation,  a  long  file  of  servitors  laid  examples 
of  gold  brocade  of  the  famed  kinkob  of  Benares,  Decca  muslin, 
and  costly  shawls  at  the  Prince's  feet,  while  the  Maharaja  sat, 
like  a  benevolent  old  magician  in  spectacles  and  white  mus- 
tache, smiling,  in  his  hall,  with  his  hands  joined  in  a  deprecat- 
ing way  as  each  tray  was  laid  on  the  ground,  as  though  he  would 
say,  "  Pardon  that  unworthy  offering !  "  The  Maharaja  then 
conducted  the  Prince  to  a  room  where  other  beautiful  presents 
were  laid  out  on  tables.  In  a  third  room  a  rich  banquet  was 
served,  which  was  untouched. 

The  Prince  mounted  to  the  roof  inside  the  parapet,  whence 
a  most  marvellous  scene  presented  itself.  The  surface  of  the 
Ganges  was  covered  with  tiny  lamps,  and,  laden  with  these,  the 
current  flowed  beneath  the  castle  wall  down  towards  Benares, 
and  the  little  earthen  vessels,  bearing  their  cargoes  of  oil  and 
wick,  sparkled  and  glittered  quite  wonderfully.  It  seemed  as 
though  a  starry  sky  were  passing  between  banks  of  gold,  for 
multitudinous  Bengal  lights  were  burning  on  the  shores.  The 
display  of  colored  fires  from  the  walls  of  the  castle  and  the  ex- 
traordinary effect  of  the  many-colored  flames  on  the  mass  of 
armored  men  and  on  the -upturned  faces  of  the  people  evoked 
repeated  exclamations  of  delight  from  the  spectators.  The 
river  was  flecked  with  fire.  Imagine  two  miles  of  terraces  rising 
from  the  water  to  temple  and  shrine,  lit  with  oil-lamps,  "  packed  " 
as  close  as  they  could  stand  or  hang  !  Every  line  of  masonry  of 
minaret,  mosque  and  temple  was  marked  out  in  light.  The  black- 
ness of  myriads  of  figures,  set  against  vivid  sheets  of  flame  from 
the  Bengal  lights,  gave  a  demoniacal  aspect  to  the  crowd.  The 
Prince  and  party  floated  down  the  river  from  Ramnagar,  pursued 
by  flights  of  fire-balloons,  to  the  landing-ghaut  at  Benares,  where 
the  carriages  were  waiting.  Thence  they  drove  to  dinner  to  the 
camp,  a  distance  of  nearly  six  miles.  The  road  was  brilliantly 
illuminated. 

January  6. — The  special  train  was  ready  at  the  temporary 
station,  not  far  from  the  camp,  at  8  A.  M.  The  Maharaja  of  Be- 


FYZABAD.  349 

nares,  the  Raja  of  Vizianagram,  the  Chief  Justice  and  Judges,  the 
Magistrates,  the  Major-General  commanding  the  division,  the 
aides-de-camp  and  staff  were  present.  When  the  Prince  was 
leaving,  the  Maharaja  tendered  him  the  last  best  proof  of  regard 
— his  own  walking-stick — a  stout  shillelagh,  with  a  gold  handle 
and  gold  studs. 

Travelling  nearly  all  day  to  Lucknow.  The  scenery  by  the 
Oudh  and  Rohilcund  Railway  does  not  offer  much  variety.  The 
country  is  a  dead  level,  no  great  rivers,  and  not  many  streams, 
to  bridge.  Hitherto  the  Prince  has  visited  regions  blessed  for 
many  years  by  peace.  Now  he  enters  upon  the  scenes  of  great 
troubles,  where  traditions  of  the  retribution  inflicted  on  rebellion 
are  recent,  where  confiscations  and  deposition  have  left  many 
bitter  memories,  and  where  the  fanaticism  engendered  in  holy 
cities  and  by  famous  shrines  keeps  alive  religious  antagonism. 
At  Fyzabad,  the  ancient  Awadiah  (Oudh),  one  of  the  most  holy 
cities  in  India,  which  is  much  favored  by  monkeys,  where  the 
train  arrived  at  i  P.  M.,  Sir  George  Couper,  the  Chief  Commis- 
sioner, staff,  the  magistrates,  and  officials,  and  Major-General 
Maude,  commanding  the  district  of  Oudh,  and  his  staff,  received 
the  Prince,  who  made  a  short  halt  at  the  Station,  and  then  con- 
tinued his  journey  to  Lucknow.  There  was  little  to  note  on  the 
way  ;  but  Oudh  is  less  prosperous — to  look  at — than  it  was  in 
1858.  Major-General  Chamberlain  and  the  Lucknow  officials 
received  the  Prince  at  the  Charbagh  Station  at  4.40  p.  M.  The 
cortege  set  out  for  the  Royal  head-quarters,-with  an  escort  of  the 
i3th  Huzzars,  and  made  a  fine  show  on  its  way;  Fane's  Punjau- 
bees  (now  the  igth  Bengal  Cavalry),  and  the  various  regiments 
belonging  to  the  Station,  and  strong  force  of  Oudh  police,  lining 
the  roads,  the  sideways  of  which  were  filled  with  crowds  of 
natives.  Lucknow  has  fairly  been  improved  off  the  face  of 
the  earth.  Hundreds  of  acres  once  occupied  by  houses  have 
been  turned  into  market-gardens.  Swarded  parks,  vistas,  rides 
and  drives,  far  prettier  than  those  of  the  Bois  de  Boulogne, 
spread  out  where  once  were  streets,  bazaars,  palaces.  They  are 
like  oceans  beneath  which  thousands  of  wrecks  lie  buried.  It 


350  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

was  just  possible  to  recognize  Banks'  Bungalow — now  the  resi- 
dence.of  the  Chief  Commissioner — once  Outram's head-quarters; 
but  the  approaches  to  it  baffled  all  attempts  of  memory. 

January  7. — A  guard  of  the  6$th  Regiment,  covered  by  a 
body  of  police,  were  on  duty  all  night  around  the  Bungalow. 
There  was  a  native  levee  at  1 1  A.  M.  Next  there  came  a  European 
levee.  The  Prince  then  drove  to  the  Dilkoosha.  He  was  much 
interested  in  the  building,  which  was  the  scene  of  interesting 
events  at  the  two  reliefs  of  Lucknow,  and  asked  particularly 
about  Peel's  Battery,  and  the  room  in  which  the  gallant  sailor 
lay  wounded ;  but  the  Dilkoosha  is  unsafe  to  enter.  Thence 
the  Prince  drove  to  the  Martiniere.  He  descended  to  the  vault 
where  lie  the  remains  of  Claude  Martin,  a  native  of  Lyons,  "  a 
simple  soldier  who  died  a  general,"  and  who  bequeathed  an 
enormous  fortune  to  charitable  purposes  in  the  land  where  he 
gained  it.  Then  he  mounted  to  the  roof,  commanding  a  view  of 
the  country  through  which  Clyde  advanced  to  the  relief  of  the 
Residency.  It  is  much  changed,  owing  to  the  destruction  of 
houses  and  vilages.  On  his  way  back  his  Royal  Highness  drove 
round  by  the  walls  of  Secunderabagh,  and  past  the  Kaiserbagh, 
through  the  Wingfield  Park. 

In  the  afternoon  he  laid  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Memorial 
to  the  natives  who  fell  in  the  defence  of  the  Residency,  which  owes 
its  origin  to  the  happy  idea,  and  its  execution  to  the  munificence,  of 
Lord  Northbrook.  At  4  P.  M.  the  i4th  Regiment,  the  65th  Regi- 
ment, the  6th  Bengal  Native  Infantry,  the  41  st  Bengal  Native  In- 
fantry, the  G  Battery,  igth  Brigade,  Royal  Artillery,  formed  three 
sides  of  a  square  round  the  mound  on  which  the  Memorial  is  to  be 
placed,  just  outside  Aitken's  Post,  where  the  natives  who  fought  in 
defence  of  the  Residency  were  chiefly  engaged.  The  survivors  of 
the  native  defenders,  who  had  been  collected  from  Oudh  and  other 
parts  of  India,  were  near  at  hand  in  their  old  uniforms.  Among 
those  were  old  Ungud,  the  famous  spy,  and  Canoujee  Lall,  the 
companion  of  Kavanagh  in  his  daring  venture,  looking  as  young 
as  he  did  in  1858.  Sir  George  Couper,  addressing  the  Prince, 
said  they  were  assembled  to  honor  the  memory  of  the  native 


MEMORIAL    TO    LOYAL    SEPOYS.  351 

officers  and  soldiers  who  fell  in  defence  ^of  the  place,  the  ruins 
of  which  they  saw  around  them.  The  behavior  of  the  Sepoys  of 
Lucknow  was  simply  without  parallel  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
Under  Clive  at  Arcot,  Sepoys  underwent  great  privations  for 
their  European  comrades ;  but  their  fidelity  was  not  tested  like 
that  of  the  men  who  resisted  the  adjurations  of  their  brethren, 
comrades,  and  caste-men,  not  fifty  yards  off,  calling  them  by 
name  to  desert  the  alien  and  infidel.  Had  they  deserted,  Luck- 
now  must  have  fallen,  and  thousands  of  trained  soldiers  would 
have  been  free  to  march  on  Delhi.  The  loss  of  the  Empire 
might  not  have  been  the  result,  but  the  difficulties  of  the  handful 
who  held  the  Ridge  would  have  been  enormously  increased. 
Less  distinguished  services  had  been  commemorated  at  the  cost 
of  the  nation ;  but  it  was  at  his  own  expense  that  the  illustrious 
nobleman  who  represented  the  Prince's  Imperial  mother  in  her 
Eastern  dominions  had  directed  the  erection  of  the  monument. 
That  humble  scene  and  scanty  gathering  would  be  historical, 
for  this  monument  to  Indian  fidelity,  bravery,  and  worth,  would 
stand  as  a  memento  of  the  Prince's  presence,  and  would  be  re- 
garded with  pride  by  Englishman  and  Asiatic  alike  when  splendid 
pageants  and  stately  ceremonials  had  been  forgotten. 

The  Prince  said  that  he  had  been  requested  by  the  Viceroy 
to  lay  the  foundation-stone  of  the  Memorial  which  he  proposed 
to  erect  to  the  memory  of  the  brave  soldiers  of  the  Native  army 
who  fell  in  defence  of  the  Residency.  He  had  great  pleasure 
in  giving  effect  to  that  request,  and  he  was  glad  to  have  a  share 
in  doing  honor  to  the  memory  of  the  gallant  men  who  had  set 
such  a  noble  example  of  fidelity  and  of  devotion  to  duty.  It 
was  not  necessary  for  him  to  dwell  on  their  deeds  ;  history  had 
celebrated  them.  Lord  Northbrook,  in  erecting  a  monument  to 
these  soldiers,  had  done  what  would  be  gratifying  to  the  whole 
army.  As  they  passed  it,  on  their  way  to  or  from  their  camps, 
European  soldiers1 — officers  and  men — would  feel  they  had  in 
such  men  as  those  whose  deeds  were  commemorated,  comrades 
worthy  to  stand  by  their  side  in  defence  of  the  Empire,  and 
Sepoys  would  feel  proud  of  the  honor  done  to  the  valiant  sol- 


352  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

diers  whose  courage  and  faithfulness  reflected  such  lustre  on 
their  race  and  country. 

The  Prince  then  took  the  trowel,  spread  the  mortar  featly  on 
the  stone,  which  was  lowered  into  its  place,  gave  the  magic  three 
taps  with  the  mallet,  and  declared  it  well  and  truly  laid.  The 
ceremony  was  over,  but  a  happy  unpremeditated  thought  of  the 
Prince  suggested  that  the  veterans  should  be  presented  to  him. 
The  delight  of  the  men  when  they  were  told  of  the  honor  in 
store  for  them  was  expressed  in  brightened  eyes  and  trembling 
lips.  They  were  led  .up  by  Major  Cubitt,  one  of  the  gallant 
officers  under  whom  they  had  served.  There  were  some  who 
had  their  grievances,  and  would  have  liked  to  take  such  a  golden 
opportunity  to  say  a  word  about  their  pensions.  One  murmur- 
ed audibly,  "  Fourteen  rupees  a  month,  Shahzadah  !  It  is  not 
much,  is  it  ?  "  Another,  led  in  by  his  sons,  nearly  blind  from  a 
wound,  exclaimed,  "  Let  me  see  him  !  "  The  Prince,  understand- 
ing what  he  meant,  told  the  officers  to  permit  him  to  approach. 
The  veteran,  with  his  hand  to  his  turban  at  the  salute  came  quite 
close,  peered  into  the  Prince's  face,  drew  a  deep  sigh,  and  said, 
"I  thank  Heaven  I  have. lived  to  see  this  day  and  the  Prince's 
face  ; "  but  when  he  felt  that  the  Prince  had  taken  his  hand  he 
burst  into  tears,  and  was  led  sobbing  away.  "  One  touch  of 
nature  makes  the  whole  world  akin."  Taking  all  the  circumstan- 
•ces  and  surroundings  into  consideration,  the  scene  was  most 
touching.  When  the  Prince  left,  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  he  had  rejoiced  the  hearts  of  the  old  soldiers  by  his 
kindliness.  He  would  not  allow  them  to  be  hurried  by ;  he 
spoke  to  each  one,  ragged  as  he  might  be,  squalid  or  unclean. 

The  generation  which  once  thrilled  with  anguish  or  pride  at 
the  names  of  Lucknow,  Cawnpoor,  and  Delhi,  is  growing  old. 
The  visitor  may  be  inclined  to  dismiss  the  memories  of  those 
days  as  evil  dreams  when  he  hears  the  words  of  welcome  and 
sees  the  rejoicings  for  the  son  of  the  Empress  of  Hindostan; 
but  signs  and  tokens  of  that  time  of  trial  are  around  him,  wheth- 
er he  will  or  not ;  they  crop  up  in  the  language  of  the  most 
guarded  addresses  ;  memorial  churches  and  pillars  bear  witness 


FAITHFUL  AMONG  THE  FAITHLESS.         353 

to  them  ;  gardens  and  clearings,  where  once  were  multitudinous 
populations,  tell  what  followed  the  outrages  and  crimes  of  that 
unhappy  time. 

After  dinner  at  the  Chief  Commissioner's,  the  Prince,  accom- 
panied by  Sir  G  Couper,  drove  to  the  native  entertainment 
given  in  the  Kaiserbagh,  once  the  Palace  of  the  Kings  of  Oudh, 
and  now  the  chef  lieu  of  the  offices  of  Government,  a  vast  stretch 
of  buildings  covering  more  ground  than  the  Louvre  and  Tuileries 
together.  He  was  welcomed  by  the  Talukdars  in  the  Throne- 
room  with  "their  modest  tribute  of  allegiance  and  gratitude, 
which  they  fondly  hoped  he  would  accept  as  a  fit  emblem  of  the 
fealty  of  the  Talukdars."  This  was  a  crown  set  with  jewels.* 

A  great  procession  of  these  nobles  made  obeisance.  Names 
were  heard  which  brought  back  memories  of  troublous  days — 
names  of  both  friends  and  foes :  the  Raja  of  Bulrampoor,  Bul- 
wunt  Sing,  Prithee  Poll  Sing,  and  the  like  ;  now  and  then  the 
title  of  some  Sikh  noble  cropping  up,  and  reminding  us  that  land 
had  been  confiscated  and  that  fidelity  had  been  rewarded.  After 
a  time,  Major  Henderson  stood  forward,  and  expressed  the 
pleasure  of  his  Royal  Highness  at  meeting  so  many  native  gentle- 
men, and  his  regret  that  time  would  not  permit  his  making  the 
acquaintance  of  each.  The  Prince  then  passed  to  the  hand- 
somely-canopied veranda  outside  the  grand  saloon  to  see  the 
fireworks.  These  had  quite  a  distinctive  character ;  no  spas- 
modic flights,  or  intermittent  outbursts,  of  rockets,  but  continued 
activity — Catherine-wheels,  fountains  of  fire,  revolving-wheels, 
and  balloons.  The  gateways,  courts,  and  vast  quadrangles  were 
illuminated.  A  banquet  was  laid,  to  which  the  Prince  paid  a 
short  visit  to  please  his  hosts.  The  natives  crowded  in  to  see 
the  Europeans  at  table.  Soon  after  1 1  o'clock  his  Royal  High- 
ness left  amid  native  salaams  and  European  cheers. 

January  8. — An  excursion  was  arranged  for  "  pig-sticking  " 
in  a  place  where,  although  the  country  is  rough,  the  sport  could 
be  enjoyed  in  perfection.  The  name  of  Onao  will  be  remem- 

*  The  address  is  given  in  the  Appendix. 
23 


354  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

bered  by  those  familiar  with  the  history  of  1857-8.  The  Prince 
rode  hard  ;  but  the  English  horse  has  little  chance  with  the  boar, 
as  the  latter  turns  like  a  hare.  There  were  many  falls  ;  some 
had  two.  The  "pigs"  showed  great  courage,  fighting  fiercely, 
charging  savagely,  and  inflicting  considerable  injuries  on  the 
horses.  In  one  run  a  boar,  hard  pressed,  "  kinked  "  (turned 
sharply  round),  and  ran  under  the  horse  ridden  by  Lord  Caring- 
ton,  which  came  down  heavily.  Lord  Carington's  left  collar-bone 
was  broken.  Fortunately,  Dr.  Fayrer  was  close  at  hand — the 
bqne  was  set — the  patient  carried  to  a  shady  grove,  where  he 
was  put  in  a  comfortable  dooly,  and  thence  borne  to  the  hunting 
camp,  where  he  was  the  object  of  the  kindest  care  and  attention. 
After  luncheon  "in  the  wild  wood,"  the  sport  was  continued, 
and  many  pigs  were  killed  before  the  day  was  over. 

The  news  that  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala  had  broken  a  collar- 
bone, in  consequence  of  his  horse  falling  with  him,  came  to  swell 
the  list  of  casualties.  The  accident  to  the  General-in-Chief 
caused  great  regret,  and  it  was  feared  that  he  would  not  be  able 
to  take  the  field ;  but  the  telegrams  represent  him  to  be  as  ready 
to  do  so  as  if  collar-bones  were  superfluous  or  needless  articles 
in  his  human  economy. 

January  9  (Sunday]. — The  native  press  is  very  active  here, 
if  not  always  very  happy  in  its  references  to  European  ways, 
names  and  manners  ;  and  there  are  several  gentlemen  in  con- 
stant observation,  note-book  in  hand,  wherever  the  Prince  goes. 
One  of  the  native  papers,  at  the  end  of  a  list  of  the  suite,  gave 
an  account  of  "the  attendants  who  take  their  meals  in  the  mess- 
house  of  the  first-class,"  to  some  of  whom  were  attached  amus- 
ing descriptions.  "  Bartlett  Sahib,  who  discerns  the  qualities 
of  Indian  things"  (Naturalist)  ;  "Jed  Sahib  "  (Mr.  Mudd),  "who 
ascertains  the  qualities  of  vegetables"  (Botanist),  &c.  They  are 
hopelessly  lost,  however,  about  the  Duke  of  Sutherland's  pipers, 
who  contribute  so  much  to  the  effect  of  the  state  dinners  on 
solemn  occasions.  Some  of  the  old  pensioners,  Canoujee  Lall, 
Ungud,  and  others,  came  to  Camp  and  sat  for  their  portraits  to 
Mr.  Hall,  before  the  departure  of  the  Royal  party  to  Delhi, 


NATIVE    LUCKNOW.  355 

The  Prince  attended  Divine  service  in  the  pretty  church  near 
Banks'  Bungalow.  At  4  P.  M.  he  drove  once  more  to  the  ruins 
of  the  Residency,  descended  at  "Fayrer's  House,"  and  went 
over  it  with  the  former  occupant  and  stout  defender  of  the 
position,  from  whom  the  post  takes  its  name.  He  visited  the 
lines  and  sites  of  the  batteries,  and  the  cemetery,  where  rest,  it 
is  believed,  the  bones  of  Sir  Henry  Lawrence,  and  of  the  men 
and  women  and  children  who  died  during  the  investment.  He 
thence  proceeded  by  the  river-side  to  the  Iron  Bridge  by  which 
Lawrence  returned  from  Chinhut,  and  which  Outram  crossed,  to 
attack  the  city.  After  enjoying  the  view  along  the  banks  of  the 
Goomtee,  he  went  by  the  Victoria  road  to  the  Alumbagh,  where 
he  examined  Havelock's  monument.  Most  remarkable  changes 
have  been  effected  in  the  neighborhood  and  in  the  city  by  whole- 
sale demolition  ;  but  some  things  have  been  done  which  can 
scarcely  be  justified,  unless  it  be  maintained  that  it  is  our  duty 
to  keep  alive  bitterness  of  feeling,  and  to  remind  Mohammedans 
that  they  are  subject  to  a  race  which  despises  what  they  rev- 
erence, and  desecrate  what  they^onsider  holy.  It  may  be  right 
to  convert  the  Kaiserbagh  into  Government  offices  and  store- 
houses, and  to  appropriate  the  Chuttur  Munzil  (where,  by  the  by 
there  was  a  very  charming  ball  given  by  the  club  to  the  Prince, 
during  his  short  sojourn  in  Lucknow),  but  the  stolid  indifference 
to  native  feeling  manifested  in  the  treatment  of  the  Imambarra 
cannot  be  justified  at  all.  Store  away  guns  and  ammunition 
there  if  you  like ;  use  the  Mosque  as  church  or  chapel ;  but  keep 
the  place  in  decent  order,  root  out  the  grass  on  the  roofs,  and 
remove  the  numbers  and  inscriptions  in  black  and  the  hideous 
whitewash  on  the  walls  of  the  buildings.  If  we  ever  lose  India, 
it  will  be  from  "  want  of  sympathy." 

The  Prince  did  not  visit  the  Native  city.  The  Chandni  Chowk, 
or  main  street,  is  too  narrow  to  be  traversed  by  carriages; 
elephants  are  too  high.  The  Duke  of  Sutherland,  Lord  A. 
Paget,  and  several  others  of  the  suite  walked  through  the  ba- 
zaars and  the  principal  thoroughfares.  Kite-making  and  kite- 
flying flourish  as  of  yore.  The  local  authorities  have  had  to 


356  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

prevent  the  ruinous  results  of  betting  on  kites,  skilled  flyers 
being  backed  like  horses  in  England.  The  people  were  inclined 
to  be  civil,  but  there  is  not  a  very  cheerful  air  about  them ;  and 
Luck  now,  or  what  is  left  of  it,  has  fallen  from  its  high  estate. 
There  are  still  a  few  of  the  artificers  who  abounded  here  in  the 
days  of  the  Native  Court — when  Lucknow  was  like  Paris  under 
the  Empire — workers  in  gold  and  silver,  makers  of  curious 
jewelry,  enamelters  and  pipe-stick  embroiderers,  workers  of  fili- 
gree ornaments,  excelling  in  the  inlaying  of  iron  with  silver,  and 
these  exhibited  their  wares  every  morning  at  the  Commissioner's, 
and  found  many  purchasers.  They  admitted  that  they  liked  the 
good  old  days,  and  that  they  did  not  admire  being  improved  off 
the  face  of  the  earth.  Altogether  I  doubt  if  Lucknow  is  quite 
friendly,  whatever  Oudh  may  be. 

January  10. — The  Prince  drove  to  Cantonments,  to  present 
colors  to  the  ist  Battalion  of  the  8th  Foot,  a  regiment  with 
grand  traditions,  bearing  a  Royal  Tiger  as  its  badge,  and 
among  the  names  on  its  colors  "  Bhurtpore."  The  ceremony, 
enlivened  by  music,  and  a  hymn  sung  by  the  bandsmen,  was 
watched  with  great  interest  by*browds  of  Europeans  and  Asi- 
atics, and  it  was  followed  by  a  march-past.  Two  batteries  of 
artillery  went  in  an  admirable  manner.  The  65th  Regiment 
and  the  i4th  Regiment  did  well,  but  they  were  eclipsed  by  the 
6th  Native  Infantry — a  splendid  battalion,  in  handsome  uniform, 
large  turbans,  Zouave  trousers,  and  white  gaiters  —  of  which 
Colonel  Holroyd  might  well  be  proud.  The  4ist  (or  Gwalior) 
Native  Infantry,  in  blue  and  red  turbans,  gray  facings  with 
white  lace,  did  not  attract  so  much  attention. 

The  Prince  drove  from  the  Chief  Commissioner's  house, 
attended  by  the  authorities,  after  lunch,  to  continue  his  progress 
to  Delhi,  and  was  received  at  the  Station  with  the  usual  hon- 
ors. Having  taken  leave  of  Sir  George  and  Lady  Couper,  to 
whom  he  expressed  his  sense  of  the  pleasure  his  visit  had  af- 
forded him,  and  having  recognized  the  chief  persons  present,  his 
Royal  Highness  proceeded  on  his  journey.  At  2.15  P.M.  the  spe- 
cial train  left  for  Cawnpoor,  and  at  3.35  P.  M.  stopped  near  Onao  to 


CAWNPOOR.  357 

take  up  Lord  Carington,  who,  a  little  pale,  and  with  his  arm  in  a 
sling,  was  certainly  not  in  the  least  degree  less  cheerful.  Pig- 
sticking has  now  led  to  three  casualties,  and  has  left  its  marks 
among  the  suite.  Shortly  before  4  P.  M.  we  came  to  the  hummocky 
grass-lands  which  border  the  Ganges.  As  the  train  swept  over 
the  stupendous  bridge  which  spans  the  great  flood,  the  spire  of 
the  church  of  Cawnpoor,  and  a  few  bungalows  and  trees  came 
in  sight.  The  Secretaries  to  the  Government  of  the  North-West 
Provinces,  two  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  personal  staff,  the 
Major-General  commanding  the  district,  the  Inspector-General  of 
Police,  the  Judge,  the  Magistrate,  Mr.  Prinsep,  ladies  and 
gentlemen  admitted  by  ticket,  were  on  the  platform  of  the 
Station,  which  is  some  distance  from  the  city.  The  Prince 
drove  first  to  the  Memorial  Church,  which  was  still  gay  with 
Christmas  emblems  inside,  and  walked  round  the  building, 
reading  the  inscriptions,  without  being  "  mobbed."  The 
tombs  outside  the  Church  and  the  site  of  Wheeler's  intrench- 
ments  were  next  examined.  The  clearances  here  have  been 
on  a  vast  scale  also.  The  intrenchments  have  been  levelled, 
the  barracks  pulled  down.  From  Windham's  tete  de pont  to  the 
Memorial  Church,  nothing  is  left  of  the  Station  as  it  was  in  1858, 
so  one  looks  for  ancient  landmarks  in  vain.  But  in  lieu  of 
compound  walls  and  bungalows  there  are  fair  parks,  fine  drives, 
and  beautiful  gardens,  due,  I  believe,  to  Colonel  Yule.  The 
carriages  were  in  request  again,  and  after  a  drive  from  the  site  of 
the  old  Cantonments,  stopped  close  to  the  gateway,  which  no 
unauthorized  Native  may  enter.  There  the  Prince  got  out, 
and  the  party  walked  to  the  building  which  marks  the 
place  of  the  fatal  Well.  There  was  deep  silence  as  the 
Prince  read  in  a  low  voice  the  touching  words  "  To  the 
memory  of  a  great  company  of  Christian  people,  principally 
women  and  children,  who  were  cruelly  slaughtered  here, 
— the  name  of  the  great  criminal  and  the  date  of  the  massacre 
are  cut  round  the  base  of  the  statue.  No  two  persons  agree  as 
to  the  expression  of  Marochetti's  Angel  which  stands  over  the 
Well.  Is  it  pain  ?  —  pity  ?  —  resignation  ?  —  vengeance  ?  —  or 


358 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 


triumph  ?  The  Prince  then  walked  to  the  cemetery,  hard  by, 
examined  the  graves,  and  expressed  pleasure  at  the  neatness  of 
che  ground.  He  gathered  some  leaves  from  a  shrub  by  the  grave 
of  Woodford,  a  gallant  soldier  who  fell  in  Windham's  engage- 
ment with  the  Gwalior  Contingent,  and  left  the  scene  of  these 
sad  events  just  ere  nightfall  for  the  residence  of  Mr.  Prinsep, 
where  his  Royal  Highness  was  entertained  at  dinner. 

It  was  nearly  IOP.  M.'before  the  special  train,  with  pilot  engine 
in  front,  started  for  Delhi.  The  carriages  were  very  comfortable  ; 
and  if  his  Royal  Highness  has  such  accommodation  as  is  due  to 
his  rank,  the  suite  do  not  travel  badly.  With  blankets  and  pil- 
lows, "  the  hardy  traveller  "  can  manage  to  make  a  night  of  it, 
and  wake  up  in  the  morning  refreshed  by  sleep. 


HEALTH  TO  THE  BROKEN  COLLAR-BONE  !  " 


• 


THE   REVIEW  AT  DELHI. 


CHAPTER  XL 


IMPERIAL   DELHI. 

The  Royal  Entry— The  Camp— The  Review— The  March-past— Criticisms— 
Selimghur — The  Kootab — Houmayoun's  Tomb — The  Manoeuvres — 
Cavalry  Field-day— Lahore  —  The  Punjaub  Chiefs  —  Return  Visits- 
Reception  at  Jummoo — Games  and  Pastimes — The  "  Alexandra  "  Bridge 
at  Wazirabad— Lahore— Sikhs  chez  «/*— Umritsur— Agra— Procession 
to  Camp — The  Chiefs — The  Taj — Excursions  to  Futtehpoor,  Sikri  and 
Sikundra — Visit  to  Gwalior — Scintiia's  Review — Rock  of  Gvvalior — Re- 
turn to  Agra— Bhurtpoor  to  Jeypoor— The  first  Tiger— Amber  City- 
Departure  from  Jeypoor. 

JANUARY  n.— "Delhi!  We  shall  be  there  in  ten  minutes!" 
It  was  true,  indeed  ;  we  were  close  to  the  Imperial  City]  Delhi 
gained  in  one  night's  unconscious  travel  from  Cawnpoor !  There 
rose  before  us  the  fair  frontage  of  Selimghur,  the  minarets  of 
the  Jumma  Musjid.  In  a  few  minutes  more  the  train  was  cross- 

359 


360  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

ing  the  Jumna  by  the  noble  bridge,  worthy  of  comparison  with 
that  over  the  Ganges  at  Cawnpoor. 

The  arrival  at  Delhi  and  entry  of  the  Prince  were  attended 
with  a  pomp  and  circumstance  well  fitting  the  place  and  the 
occasion.  The  morning  was  all  that  could  be  desired ;  the 
breeze  enough  to  dissipate  the  dust,  and  the  temperature  quite 
agreeable  after  the  coldness  of  the  night  air.  Inside  the  Station, 
Lord  Napier  of  Magdala,  the  Staff  of  the  Army,  a  glittering 
crowd  of  authorities,  and  officers  of  British  and  Native  regiments 
of  all  arms,  a  guard  of  honor  of  100  of  the  Rifle  Brigade  and 
100  of  Rattray's  Sikhs.  A  Battery,  igth  Brigade  R.A.,  fired  a 
salute.  The  escort  consisted  of  A  Battery  of  the  A  Brigade,  a 
squadron  of  the  loth  Hussars,  and  one  troop  of  the  4th  Bengal 
Cavalry.  The  procession  was  formed  almost  immediately ;  the 
Prince,  in  a  Field-Marshal's  uniform,  with  Sir  H.  Davies  on  the 
left,  and  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala  on  the  right.  Major  Brad- 
ford, Lord  Suffield,  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  and  Lord  Alfred 
Paget,  abreast ;  the  Staff  four  abreast  from  left  to  right,  three 
deep  in  front ;  the  suite  in  Royal  carriages.  Lines  of  soldiery, 
extending  five  miles,  kept  the  route  to  the  camp.  From  the 
Railway  Station  to  Lothian  road,  the  nth  Bengal  Lancers,  yth 
Bengal  Cavalry,  i5th  Hussars  and  i5th  Bengal  Cavalry.  The 
esplanade  was  lined  by  C  Battery,  igth  Brigade  ;  A  Battery,  8th 
Brigade ;  B  Battery,  8th  Brigade  ;  and  6th  Bengal  Cavalry  ;  in  front 
of  the  Jumma  Musjid  were  the  5th  Regiment  and  the  28th  Pim- 
jaubees.  As  the  Prince  came  in  sight,  the  immense  multitude, 
which  had  been  sitting  on  the  flight  of  steps  leading  to  the  grand 
gateway  of  the  Temple,  rose  as  by  one  accord.  The  Chanclni 
Chowk  was  lined  by  the  3ist  Punjaubees,  the  62cl  Foot,  the  5th 
Foot  and  the  26th  Punjaubees,  the  6th  Foot,  the  8th  Foot,  and 
the  85th  Foot,  the  32d  Punjaubees,  the  i2th  Foot,  the  15111 
Sikhs  and  the  45th  Sikhs  (Rattray's).  Then  outside  the  city  the 
nth  Hussars,  6th  Bengal  Cavalry,  Central  India  Horse,  39lh 
Foot  and  5ist  Foot,  8th  Native  Infantry,  and  three  batteries 
Royal  Artillery.  On  the  famous  Ridge  were  six  "green"  regi- 
mente  in  line ;  the  ist  Punjaubees,  the  6oth  Rifles.  The  Prince 


THE    CAMP    AT    DELHI.  36! 

did  not  forget  to  notice  either  the  stone  monument,  or  the 
regiments  which  had  actually  fought  upon  the  very  ground  they 
occupied  before  him — the  living  witnesses  of  the  deeds  by  which 
the  power  of  the  Empire  he  represented  was  established.  The 
2d  Ghoorkas,  on  the  right  of  the  6oth  Rifles,  were  opposite 
Hindoo  Rao's  house,  which  they  held  during  the  siege.  The 
Prince  stopped  in  front  of  the  2d  Ghoorkas  and  expressed  his 
pleasure  at  seeing  them  in  such  an  appropriate  place.  The 
procession  next  passed,  the  3d  Ghoorkas  and  4th  Ghoorkas. 
Then  the  Sappers  and  Miners,  a  Mountain  Battery,  33d  Native 
Infantry,  nth  Native  Infantry  and  the  73d  Foot.  The  road 
from  the  Ridge  was  lined  by  the  loth  Bengal  Lancers,  the  4th 
Bengal  Cavalry,  two  Batteries,  and  the  loth  Hussars. 

The  Royal  Camp  was  of  grand  proportions  and  beautifully 
ordered.  The  main  street  was  formed  by  tents  of  great  size, 
shrubs  and  flowering  plants  lining  the  edges  of  the  avenue  from 
end  to  end — the  Royal  marquees  and  enclosure  at  the  extremity 
— in  front,  a  parterre  and  a  towering  flag-staff ;  lamps  before 
each  tent;  a  sward  as  level,  if  not  as  green,  as  an  EngPvi 
cricket-ground.  The  loth  Hussars  and  the  Rifle  Brigade,  4th 
Battalion,  are  the  regiments  nearest  to  the  Royal  Camp,  which 
is  a  very  proper  arrangement,  as  the  Prince  is  Colonel  of  both 
regiments. 

After  a  time,  the  Municipality  of  Delhi,  all  Native  gentlemen, 
were  introduced  to  present  their  address.  They  said  that  they 
esteemed  it  a  privilege  to  be  permitted  to  give  expression  to 
their  feelings  of  profound  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  person  and 
rule  of  their  gracious  Queen,  and,  on  behalf  of  the  whole  com- 
munity, of  whatever  race  or  creed,  offered  to  his  Royal  High- 
ness a  hearty  welcome  to  their  ancient  city.  Since  the  Viceroy 
announced  the  intended  visit,  they  had  been  anxiously  looking 
forward  to  the  auspicious  event.  Delhi,  though  small  when 
compared  with  great  capitals,  such  as  Calcutta,  Madras,  and 
Bombay,  could  claim  attention  for  its  antiquities  and  historic 
interest.  "For  more  than  1000  years  it  has  been  the  seat  of 
dynasties,  which  have  risen,  flourished,  and  passed  away,  leaving 
16 


362  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

traces  of  splendor  in  the  palace  and  the  tomb,  in  mosque  and 
temple,  minaret  and  tower.  Although  no  longer  the  seat  of 
empire,  it  is  flourishing.  Three  railways  converge  to  it,  develop- 
ing trade  and  industry.  It  is  still  the  home  of  the  language  of 
Hindostan  and  the  seat  of  learning."  It  is  their  earnest  wish 
that  his  Royal  Highness  may  retain  pleasing  recollections  of  his 
visit,  and  that  the  remainder  of  his  tour  may  be  as  full  of  interest 
as  the  commencement  has  been.  The  Prince  thanked  them  for 
their  welcome,  and  said  he  had  looked  forward  with  pleasure  to 
his  visit  to  their  ancient  capital,  abounding  in  the  earliest  monu- 
ments of  Indian  magnificence  and  recollections  of  the  greatest 
historical  interest.  The  natural  position  of  the  city  in  the  centre 
of  Hindostan,  where  so  many  great  lines  of  railway  converge, 
must  ever  render  Delhi  one  of  the  most  important  points  in  our 
Indian  possessions.  He  was  glad  to  meet  them  there,  and  much 
gratified  in  being  able  to  convey  to  the  Queen  his  assurance  of 
the  appearance  of  reviving  prosperity  in  a  city  so  famous  and 
beautiful. 

To  the  Englishman,  Delhi  represents  merely  the  centre  of  a 
military  system,  which  from  time  to  time  finds  here  its  point  of 
concentration.  It  is  almost  forgotten  that  it  was  but  a  short 
time  ago  the  seat  of  power  of  an  Empire,  the  capital  of  a  dynasty 
retaining  Imperial  honors  and  privileges,  and  inflicting  upon 
those  who  guarded  both,  such  slights  as  now  seem  incredible. 
To  us  the  city  has  no  historical  worth  except  that  its  name  is 
hallowed  by  the  exploits  and  by  the  extraordinary  tenacity  and 
efforts  of  the  army  "which  held  on  to  it,"  by  the  advice  of  Sir 
John  Lawrence,  "  like  bull-dogs,"  until  the  hour  of  hard-won 
triumph  arrived,  and  the  wretched  descendant  of  the  Great 
Mogul  was  carried  off  to  a  miserable  captivity.  But  the  Mo- 
hammedan and  the  Hindoo,  whose  memories  are  refreshed  by 
ancient  legends,  and  who  love  to  dwell  on  the  history  of  their 
past  glory,  having,  in  good  sooth,  no  records  of  the  present 
wherewith  to  be  content,  clothe  the  ruins  of  tombs  and  temples 
with  an  interest  to  which  we  are  completely  strangers.  They 
have  the  heritage  of  the  past  divided  between  them  in  the  endur- 


THE    REVIEW.  363 

ing  traditions  of  the  great  wrongs  they  wrought  upon  each 
other. 

A  Levee,  which  was  attended  by  many  hundreds  of  officers 
of  all  grades  and  of  civilians,  followed  the  presentation  of  the 
address,  at  the  close  of  which  the  Native  officers  were  presented. 

Lord  Napier  of  Magdala  entertained  the  Prince  at  his  own 
camp ;  but  ample  as  was  his  mess-tent,  there  was  not  sufficient 
room  for  all  the  officers  who  might  have  expected  to  meet  his 
Royal  Highness.  Some  of  the  suite  joined  the  staff  at  table 
in  the  magnificent  Head-quarters'  mess-tent.  Others  dined  with 
friends  in  the  ever-hospitable  camp. 

January  12. — This  was  the  day  of  the  grand  Review,  to 
which  so  many  soldiers,  civilians,  and  fair  ladies  were  looking 
with  the  greatest  anxiety  ;  and  although  the  force,  in  comparison 
with  that  which  one  sees  on  any  Schauplatz  of  the  great  military 
States  in  Europe  was  insignificant,  it  was  for  India  a  very 
respectable  assemblage  of  all  arms,  the  cavalry  and  artillery 
especially  being  excellent.* 

The  appearance  of  the  force  was  very  fine.  The  brigades  of 
infantry,  compact  and  glittering,  were  in  the  front  line,  the 
regiments  in  double  companies  quarter-columns,  in  marching- 
past  order,  at  thirty  paces'  interval.  The  cavalry  regiments  in 
quarter  distance  column  at  thirty  paces'  interval  in  the  second 
line ;  each  brigade  in  rear  of  the  centre  of  the  division  of  in- 
fantry to  which  it  was  attached.  The  artillery  at  full  intervals, 
with  one  line  of  wagons  in  rear,  formed  the  third  line.  The 
sappers  and  miners,  pontoon,  and  field  telegraph  train,  formed 
the  fourth  line,  with  sappers  on  the  right.  The  divisional 
generals  were  seventy-five  paces  in  front  of  the  centres  of  the 
divisions,  and  brigadiers  fifty  paces  in  front  of  brigades. 

The  Prince,  who  wore  the  uniform  of  a  Field-Marshal,  drove 
a  couple  of  miles  to  the  place  where  the  horses  were  waiting 
under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Prince.  Cold  as  the  night  had  been, 
and  more  than  bracing  as  the  morning  air  was,  the  sun  waxed 

*  For  General  Orders  and  list  of  Regiments  see  Appendix. 


364  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

hot  by  noon,  and  the  clouds  of  dust  which  arose  from  the  plain 
were  blinding.  On  getting  out  of  the  carriage,  the  Prince 
mounted  and  rode  off,  and  there  was  a  general  "  scurry "  to 
follow.  The  horses  were  fresh,  and  those  that  were  led  became 
more  frisky  than  ever  at  the  sight  of  their  companions  going  off 
full  tilt.  Before  I  was  well  in  the  saddle,  my  Arab  reared,  and 
then  gave  a  buck-jump.  He  followed  that  up  by  another,  which 
was  unpleasant.  "  Give  him  his  head,  Sir  !  "  cried  Mr.  Prince. 
I  did  so,  but  quite  in  a  different  way  from  that  which  my  adviser 
meant,  for  in  a  moment  I  was  on  the  ground,  with  an  unpleasant 
consciousness  of  not  being  sure  that  I  had  not  broken  some 
bones.  I  was  enabled  to  mount  another  horse  ;  but  I  confess 
that,  what  with  the  effect  of  the  shake,  the  heat  of  the  sun  and 
the  weight  of  a  helmet,  I  had  but  a  very  dim  appreciation  of  the 
march-past. 

As  the  Prince  appeared  on  the  ground,  the  Royal  Standard 
was  hoisted,  and  a  Royal  salute  given  along  the  line ;  the  great 
crowd  uttered  a  shout  of  welcome,  and  the  fluttering  of  white 
kerchiefs  from  the  dense  line  of  carriages  seemed  like  a  ripple  of 
surf  against  the  background  of  the  dark  multitude.  The  Prince 
rode  across  to  the  right  of  the  first  line,  and  down  the  front, 
receiving  the  usual  honors,  bands  playing,  colors  lowered,  and 
so  on,  passing  from  right  to  left  and  left  to  right,  till  the  inspec- 
tion was  complete.  That  was  a  pretty  sight,  scarcely  marred  by 
the  dust  that  would  rise  to  obscure  for  a  moment  the  brightness 
of  the  cavalcade  in  which  might  be  recognized  the  plumed 
pickel-haubes  of  Count  Seckendorff  and  two  or  three  Germans, 
the  simple  uniform  of  three  American  officers,  the  aigrettes  of 
the  Nepalese  and  the  jewelled  turbans  of  Native  Chiefs,  amid 
the  uniforms  of  the  officers  of  all  branches  of  the  two  armies  of 
the  Crown  in  India.  When  his  Royal  Highness  had  taken  up 
his  place  near  the  flag-staff  in  front  of  the  Royal  enclosure,  the 
march-past  commenced.  His  Royal  Highness  was  in  front,  so 
that  he  could  be  seen  by  all  ;  Lord  Napier  of  Magclala,  his  arm 
in  a  sling,  was  on  his  left ;  Scindia  was  at  a  little  distance  on  his 
right,  somewhat  in  the  rear  with  two  or  three  chiefs.  The  Duke 


THE    MARCH-PAST.  365 

of  Sutherland,  Lord  Keane  (en  bourgeois],  Colonel  Dillon,  Mr. 
Knollys,  &c.,  were  on  horseback  in  the  Royal  enclosure,  but  the 
military  members  and  officers  of  yeomanry  or  militia  of  the 
suite  were  massed  at  the  other  side  nearly  opposite  the  saluting 
point.  When  the  signal  was  given,  the  first  line  began  to  move, 
and  for  an  hour  and  a  half  the  stream  of  horse,  foot,  and  guns 
flowed  before  us  ;  and  yet  it  would  not  have  more  than  filled  the 
muster-roll  of  a  single  foreign  corps  d'armee.  As  an  officer  said 
to 'me,  "That  army  is  able  to  march  from  the  Himalayas  to 
Comorin — from  Madras  to  Bombay — but  on  one  condition  :  the 
natives  must  feed  it,  and  be  ready  to  assist  in  the  transport." 
There  is  no  use  attempting  to  discriminate  and  say  what 
regiments  appeared  good  and  what  bad  ;  but  it  certainly  did 
strike  those  accustomed  to  European  armies,  that  the  proportion 
of  British  officers  to  Native  regiments  was  perilously  small. 
Without  at  all  detracting  from  the  merit  and  proved  excellence 
of  Native  troops  under  certain  conditions,  one  could  not  help 
feeling  that  it  was  dangerous  at  the  very  moment  when  we  are 
crying  out  against  the  inadequate  number  of  officers  available 
for  duty  in  British  regiments  at  home,  to  trust  Native  troops  so 
very  much  to  their  own  officers.  However,  Lord  Napier  is  not 
only  content,  but  he  is  powerfully  supported  on  the  point  by  the 
arguments  and  experience  of  General  Norman.  As  to  the  Native 
army  generally,  without  disrespect,  and  in  fact  with  something 
like  admiration,  one  may  say  to  it,  with  the  bully  in  the  play, 
who,  entering  a  tavern,  put  his  sword  upon  the  table  :  "  Lie 
there,  good  blade  !  God  grant  that  I  may  have  no  need  of  thee  !  " 
It  was  interesting  to  observe  that  the  Queen's  officers,  as  one 
may  call  them  for  the  sake  of  distinction,  did  not  speak  of  the 
appearance  of  the  Native  regiments  at  all,  while  the  Indian 
officers  had  no  eyes  but  for  their  own  corps.  The  officers  who 
belonged  to  the  old  irregular  cavalry,  notably  the  Punjaubees, 
are  enthusiasts  about  the  qualities  of  their  men  and  the  perfec- 
tion of  their  organization,  whilst  the  Queen's  officers  hold  them 
in  very  poor  estimation.  Talking  with  a  colonel  of  a  crack 
English  cavalry  regiment,  I  was  astonished  to  be  told,  in  reply 


366  THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

to  a  remark,  "  that  the  natives  might  surely  be  trusted  on  out- 
post duty,"  that  they  were  the  very  worst  men  for  that  special 
duty  he  had  ever  seen  ;  that  they  never  knew  how  to  post 
sentries,  vedettes,  pickets,  and  grand  guards,  and  that  in  case  of 
active  service  before  an  enemy  he  would  never  lie  down  to  sleep 
if  he  thought  the  outpost  service  were  confided  to  Native  cavalry  ! 
With  some  recollection  of  what  happened  down  in  the  Valley  of 
Baidar  on  a  certain  week  in  October,  I  could  not  help  expressing 
a  hope  to  myself  that  things  were  altered  for  the  better  in  our 
own  army  since  that  time.  The  army  of  India  costs  as 
much  as  the  British  army,  each  in  round  numbers  absorbing 
i5,ooo,ooo/.  per  annum,  and  certainly  for  3o,ooo,ooo/.  sterling 
there  ought  to  be,  for  a  time  of  need,  a  force  upon  which  the 
Empire  can  rely  with  the  utmost  confidence. 

When  the  march-past  was  over,  there  was  an  advance  of  the 
whole  force  and  a  Royal  salute,  which  had  a  very  fine  effect,  and 
then  the  various  arms  marched  off  towards  their  camps.  The 
great  plain  presented  a  most  animated  appearance.  As  to  the 
camps  spread  out  for  miles,  one  thinks,  when  he  sees  them,  and 
the  towering  elephants  and  hundreds  of  camels,  the  herds  of 
sheep  and  goats,  and  multitudes  of  people,  of  a  nation  on  the 
tramp — some  great  migration  of  a  warrior  horde.  There  is  a 
method  in  all  this  apparent  disarray ;  the  tents  are  pitched  with 
the  precision  which  long  practice  in  India  gives.  There  are 
great  civilian  camps,  native  camps  and  bazaar  camps  ;  and  the 
excellent  plans  issued  by  the  Quartermaster-General's  Depart- 
ment enable  a  stranger  to  find  any  corps  he  wants.  These  have 
their  distinguishing  colors  and  streamers,  and  the  general  effect 
as  seen  from  an  eminence  like  the  Ridge  is  marvellously  fine. 

Lord  Napier  and  many  generals  and  officers  dined  with  his 
Royal  Highness ;  and  the  roll-call  of  the  guests  would  have 
sounded  well  on  the  eve  of  any  battle,  albeit  there  were  none 
who  had  fought  at  Solferino,  Koniggratz,  Gravelotte,  or  Sedan. 
Covers  were  laid  for  eighty.  It  was  a  right  regal  banquet ;  but 
one  could  not  help  thinking  that  there  was  something  nomadic 
in  the  idea  of  a  high  festival  of  the  kind  in  a  tent — a  tacit  con- 


A    RIGHT    REGAL    BANQUET.  367 

fession  that  "  we've  no  abiding  dwelling  here  " — that  our  mansion 
is  like  the  house  kept  by  the  strong  man  armed.  And  then  there 
came  a  ball  in  Selimghur.  The  manner  in  which  this  famous 
palace  was  arranged  reflected  credit  upon  the  committee  for  the 
ball  ;  but  there  were  transformations  not  in  the  best  taste,  and 
adaptations  which  could  scarcely  have  been  grateful  to  those 
who  had  sympathy  with  ancient  recollections.  Selimghur  has 
certainly  not  been  improved  by  British  occupancy.  In  the  noble 
square  stand  red-brick  barracks  of  amazing  ugliness  ;  but  it  has 
escaped  the  fate  of  the  Imambarra  at  Lucknow,  certainly  one  of 
the  finest  halls  in  the  world,  which  was  built  as  a  canopy  to  the 
tomb  of  a  King  of  Oudh,  our  friend  and  ally.  All  the  world  has 
heard  of  the  Dewan  Khass,  wherein  stood  the  "  Peacock 
Throne."  "  If  there  is  a  Paradise  on  earth  it  is  this  !  it  is  this  ! 
it  is  this  !  "  But  ideas  of  Paradise  cannot  be  altogether  realized 
in  a  pavilion  filled  with  men  in  uniforms  and  evening  dress, 
women  in  ball  dresses,  military  bands  playing  Offenbach  and 
Strauss,  and,  above  all,  a  ceiling  of  a  distressing  color.  Never- 
theless, when  the  dancing  was  at  its  height,  and  the  dancers 
were  seen  whirling  in  the  arched  spaces,  between  rows  of  snowy 
columns,  the  scene  presented  by  the  marble  "  halls  of  dazzling 
light "  was  very  brilliant.  If  the  enjoyment  of  a  succession  of 
dances  with  charming  partners,  continued  hour  after  hour,  and  a 
grand  State  supper  could  make  men  happy,  there  is  no  doubt 
the  guests  were  in  the  most  contented  frame  of  rnind  when  they 
were  summoned  to  their  camps  and  quarters  to  prepare,  with  the 
morning  sun,  for  the  manoeuvres,  for  which  the  two  leaders  of 
the  contending  hosts  had  already  set  out. 

January  13. — Whilst  the  force  was  preparing  for  the  grand 
operations  before  Delhi  to-morrow  and  next  day,  an  excursion 
of  a  very  interesting  character  was  made  to-day  to  the  Kootab 
Minar,  on  the  way  to  which  the  Prince  visited  the  beautiful  tomb 
of  Suftur  Jung.  The  road  lies  through  a  country  which  presents 
the  strangest  aspect  in  the  world.  Delhi,  in  the  words  of  Cun- 
ningham, is  surrounded  by  ruins  "  which  extend  from  the  south 
end  of  the  present  city  to  Toogluckabad,  ten  miles ;  the  breadth 


368  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

at  the  north  is  three  miles,  that  at  the  south,  four ;  Kootab  to 
Toogluckabad,  six  miles ;  the  whole  area  being  not  less  than 
forty-five  square  miles,  covered  with  ruins."  And  who  founded 
the  cities  and  built  the  palaces  and  made  the  strong  places  which 
are  now  but  dust,  rubbish  and  heaps  of  brick?  The  leaders  of 
races  who  believed,  each  in  his  time,  that  his  dominion  would 
endure,  just  as  we  believe  that  ours  must  last  for  ever,  or  for  as 
long  as  we  wish.  I  was  told  that  a  recent  English  visitor,  of 
some  political  eminence,  was  roused  almost  to  fury  by  the  sight 
of  the  magnificent  monuments,  because  he  did  not  know  any- 
thing about  the  people  to  whose  memories  they  were  erected, 
and  that  he  inveighed  against  the  departed  in  that  they  were 
more  honored  in  their  tombs  than  European  worthies  !  The 
Mohammedan  invasion,  which  established " Shab  -  ood  -  Deen  in 
power  nearly  100  years  after  William  had  conquered  England, 
found  here  a  civilization  to  which  our  ancestors  had  then  no 
pretensions.  An  abstract  of  English  history,  intended  for 
Native  schools,  came  into  my  hands  the  other  day,  and  I  could 
not  help  thinking  of  the  impression  which  must  be  produced  on 
the  reader  by  a  summary  of  our  wars  civil  and  foreign,  changes 
of  dynasty,  and  violent  deaths  of  kings.  Kutb-ood-Deen,  Nasir- 
ood-Deen,  Toogluck,  Feroze  Shah,  Baber,  Shir  Shah,  Selim, 
Akhbar,  Arungzebe — these  are  names  not  writ  in  water;  to 
many  millions  they  mean  far  more  than  Alfred,  Richard  Cceur 
de  Lion,  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  or  Henry  V.  do  to  us,  and 
yet  our  millions  know  nothing  of  them  whatever. 

At  the  Kootab  there  was  a  small  camp  pitched  for  the  occa- 
sion. There  was  a  military  band,  and  lunch  was  laid  in  a 
large  marquee.  Many  ladies  were  invited  from  Delhi.  The 
Prince  mounted  to  the  summit  of  the  Kootab,  said  to  be  the 
highest  pillar  in  the  world  (it  measures  238  feet  in  height),  and 
viewed  the  wide-spread  ruins  of  forts,  tombs,  mosques,  and  cities. 
He  inspected  the  famous  Iron  Pillar,  in  which  the  natives  still 
have  a  robust  faith,  in  spite  of  practical  demonstrations  of  the 
emptiness  of  it,  and  visited  the  well  of  Mehrowlie,  where  he  was 
amused  by  the  divers,  who  leaped  into  a  pool  eighty  feet  below 


THE    KOOTAB.  369 

them.  Each  man,  before  he  jumped,  threw  a  pebble  to  mark 
the  spot,  covered  with  green  scum,  which  he  intended  to  strike. 
The  Prince,  on  his  way  back  to  the  camp,  stopped  at  Houmay- 
oun's  Tomb,  where  the  Delhi  princes  surrendered  to  Hodson 
and  met  their  death.  This  mausoleum  struck  me  as  one  of  the 
finest  monumental  buildings  I  had  ever  seen,  when  I  visited  it 
in  1858.  Sombre,  massive,  vast,  it  is  doubtless  one  of  the 
grandest  piles  of  the  kind  in  the  world  ;  the  effect  of  the  red 
sandstone,  relieved  by  the  snow-white  marble,  the  noble  terraces, 
exquisite  filigree  windows,  lofty  walls,  290  yards  long,  is  scarcely 
to  be  surpassed  ;  but  it  is  falling  somewhat  into  decay.  In  the 
great  cemetery,  around  the  magnificent  mausoleum  of  Nizam- 
ood-Deen,  which  lies  on  the  other  side  of  the  road  to  Delhi,  a 
little  nearer  to  the  Kootab,  are  several  fine  tombs.  Every 
traveller  here  has  paid  a  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  admirable 
Jehanara  Begum,  on  whose  tomb  is  inscribed  the  epitaph 
(translated)  : 

"  Let  no  rich  canopy  cover  my  grave  !  " 
"  This  grass  is  the  best  covering  for  the  poor  in  spirit  1 " 
"The    humble,   transitory,  Jehanara — the   disciple  of   the  Holy  Men  of 
Cheest" 

"The  daughter  of  the  Emperor  Shah  Jehan." 

However,  for  all  her  humble  prayer,  the  lady  reposes  in  a 
fine  sarcophagus,  which  is  surrounded  by  a  screen  of  marble. 
General  Sleeman  mistook  "  Cheest "  for  a  holier  name,  and 
claimed  Jehanara  as  a  Christian. 

Delhi  was  illuminated,  and  the  streets  were  crowded,  as  it  was 
announced  that  his  Royal  Highness  would  drive  through  the 
principal  thoroughfares  to  see  the  illuminations  ;  but  it  was  just 
as  well  that  he  did  not  pass  through  the  city,  for  there  are  still 
budmashes  whom  all  the  arts  of  Major  Bradford's  agents  could 
not  inveigle  out  of  their  dens.  On  his  return  to  Head-quarters, 
the  Prince,  dressed  in  regimental  uniform,  dined  with  the  officers 
of  the  Rifle  Brigade,  of  which  he  is  Colonel. 

January  14. — The  force  under  Major-General  the  Hon.  A. 
Hardinge — supposed  to  be  advancing  from  the  Punjaub  to  seize 
16*  24 


3/0  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

on  the  Ridge,  and  to  hold  it  until  an  army,  with  which  it  was 
obliged  to  keep  open  its  communications  by  Kurnaul,  could  come 
up — consisting  of  seven  regiments  of  calvary  (Major-General 
Watson),  divided  into  two  brigades,  under  Colonels  Hankin  and 
Kennedy ;  thirteen  battalions  of  infantry,  under  General  Michell ; 
Engineers,  Pontoon  train,  and  thirty-six  guns,  was  in  position 
about  twenty-one  miles  north  of  Delhi,  with  its  left  on  the  Jumna 
and  its  right  on  Juteree,  near  the  old  Imperial  road,  to-day.  A 
force  of  two  brigades  of  calvary,  of  three  regiments  each,  under 
Miller  and  Annesley,  and  of  eleven  battalions  of  infantry,  with 
four  companies  of  Sappers  and  thirty-seven  guns,  including  one 
mountain  and  one  heavy  battery,  under  Lieut.  General  Sir  Charles 
Reid,  moved  out  to  meet  the  attack. 

Expecting  to  see  a  collision  between  Hardinge  and  Reid,  the 
Prince  drove  in  the  afternoon  to  Alipoor,  where  horses  were  .in 
waiting,  mounted,  and  rode  across  the  country.  Operations 
commenced  by  Hardinge  making  a  dash  at  a  bridge  on  the  Kur- 
naul road.  Mounting  eighty  infantry  on  battery  carriages  and 
limbers,  he  opened  fire  on  two  guns,  posted  to  defend  the  cross 
cut,  which  were  covered  by  a  regiment  of  cavalry.  It  may  be 
doubted  whether  the  cavalry  could  not  have  crossed  the  canal, 
taken  the  guns,  and  made  short  work  of  eighty  isolated  Riflemen. 
Hardinge  seized  the  bridge,  but  there  was  no  fighting.  Reid  did 
not  intend  to  fight  in  the  open.  He  scarcely  made  a  show  of 
defending  the  ground  north  of  the  canal.  He  was  determined  to 
stick  to  the  Ridge  whereon  he  had  gained  well-deserved  honor 
in  real  warfare,  so  he  intrenched  himself,  and  left  all  the  villages 
in  front  to  Hardinge.  It  was  no  doubt  a  well-devised  move,  but 
it  was  not  exciting  ;  Reid  might  have  obliged  the  world  with  a 
cavalry  fight.  However,  he  did  not  do  so,  and  scarcely  a  shot 
was  fired  from  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Prince  till  3  P.  M., 
when  the  operations,  according  to  orders,  terminated. 

January  15. — All  were  up  and  stirring  to  be  on  the  ground 
in  time,  and  soon  after  10  A.  M.  the  Prince  and  his  suite  were  gal- 
loping over  the  plain  towards  the  Jumna.  Watson  obtained  leave 
from  Hardinge  to  take  his  cavalry  to  his  left  and  engage  Miller's 


THE    IMPREGNABLE    RIDGE. 


371 


force.  The  affair,  however,  was  not  fortunate.  There  were  forty- 
pounders  on  the  flank  of  Watson's  horse,  which  were  also  ex- 
posed to  field  batteries  as  they  advanced  in  column.  The  umpires 
put  several  squadrons  out  of  action.  Calvary,  stopped  by  im- 
perious umpires  with  positive  assurance  that  certain  puffs  of  smoke 
in  the  remote  distance  had  put  man  and  horse  to  rout,  were  bv 
no  means  satisfied,  for  the  results  of  actual  practice  near  Delhi  a 
short  time  previously  tended  to  show  that  though  where  there  was 


r  ifTSitL     Up    r~     "*"«*f*M-y 

THE   SHAM    FIGHT   AT  DELHI — PERILOUS   POSITION    OF  SOME  OF  THE  SUITE.] 

smoke  there  was  fire,  it  by  no  means  followed  that  where  there 
was  fire  there  was  death.  Meanwhile  Hardinge  reached  the 
junction  of  the  two  roads  with  the  canal.  Stewart,  to  whom  Har- 
dinge gave  over  the  command  of  the  infantry,  considered  he 
might  yet  establish  himself  on  the  Ridge.  Hardinge,  however, 
saw  the  defenders  were  in  impregnable  positions  in  his  front. 
He  was  checkmated,  and  acknowledged  it. 


372  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

Soon  after  i  o'clock  there  was  abrupt  cessation  of  firing.  Har- 
dinge  might  have  lost  half  his  army  by  umpires'  decisions  without 
losing  any  credit  with  the  general  body  of  spectators,  but  he  had 
demonstrated  remarkably  the  daring  of  those  who  seized  on  the 
Ridge  in  1857,  and  the  impotence  of  those  who  lost  such  a  posi- 
tion. There  was  but  little  knowledge  of  the  value  of  the  troops 
to  be  gained  from  what  we  saw,  but  to  many  the  operations  were 
of  intense  interest. 

It  is  probable  most  of  the  spectators  were  glad  that  the  fight- 
ing ended  so  soon — the  troops  engaged  certainly  were  so,  for 
the  heat  was  not  by  any  means  agreeable.  To  the  great  fouk 
the  paramount  attraction  was  the  Prince's  presence.  Indeed, 
the  position  of  his  Royal  Highness  might  be  ascertained,  not  so 
much  by  the  escort  and  staff  around  his  person  as  by  the  crowd 
in  eager  chase,  regardless  of  sun  and  dust,  whose  example  was 
less  impetuously  followed  by  their  cavaliers.  Among  one  of  the 
incidents  on  the  way  back  to  camp  was  the  surprise  of  a  party 
on  an  elephant,  which  suddenly  became  very  restive  "and  unruly. 
This  was  accounted  for  by  the  delivery  of  a  brisk  fire  of  mus- 
ketry from  a  party  of  native  infantry  in  dust-colored  (kharkee) 
uniforms,  who,  lying  clown  close  at  hand,  had  not  been  seen  till 
they  actually  began  to  fire. 

January  16  (Sunday). — At  night  the  cold  was  enough  to 
cause  the  fires  in  the  tents  to  be  very  welcome.  Thermometer 
340  at  6  A.  M.  Waking  before  daybreak,  I  walked  out  of  the  bed- 
room division,  into  the  sitting-room,  of  my  tent  to  light  a  candle. 
The  fire  was  burning  in  the  hearth,  and  I  saw  three  figures,  draped 
in  white,  seated  motionless  before  it ;  their  backs  were  turned  to- 
wards me.  I  paused  to  consider  what  they  might  be  ;  but  ere 
the  demand,  in  Hinclostanee,  "  Who  are  you  ? "  ended,  the  three 
forms  arose,  towering  as  it  seemed  to  a  tremendous  height,  and 
vanished.  They  were  three  of  the  servants,  who  usually  slept 
under  the  eaves  and  in  the  space  -between  the  outer  and  inner 
walls  of  the  tent,  and  who,  pinched  by  cold,  thought  they  might 
creep  in  and  sleep  by  the  fire.  One  of  these,  Jewanjee,  has 
attached  himself  in  a  most  artful  and  surreptitious  way  to  my 


CAVALRY    FIELD-DAY.  3/3 

establishment.  I  have  seen  him  driven  forth  with  vehemence, 
not  to  say  violence  on  several  occasions  ;  but  somehow  or  other 
he  follows  the  camp  from  place  to  place,  and  will  end,  I  am 
certain,  by  being  placed  on  the  fixed  strength.  There  was  rest 
in  the  camp  all  day.  Divine  service  at  head-quarters.  Orders 
given  for  the  departure  of  the  party  for  Lahore,  the  baggage  to 
be  ready  early  to-morrow. 

January  17. — 'There  is  now  an  end  of  the  Delhi  pageant ; 
in  a  day  or  two  the  busy  city  of  canvas  will  have  disappeared 
like  a  dream  of  the  night,  or  a  scene  in  a  pantomine — the  canvas 
houses  will  be  packed  up  with  their  skeleton  poles  in  commissa- 
riat stores  ;  the  grand  tents  of  the  Prince  will  be  on  their  way 
to  Calcutta  ;  the  regiments  with  their  followers  will  be  marching 
back  to  their  stations  ;  the  civilians  and  their  families  and  friends 
journeying  to  their  scenes  of  labor ;  and  all  that  will  remain 
will  be  the  eternal  earth,  the  monumental  .Ridge,  the  wide-spread 
plains,  the  factor  of  x  value,  called  the  people,  and  many  mem- 
ories. This  gathering  has  naturally  enough  given  an  impetus  to 
the  discussion  on  a  subject  of  the  most  vital  importance,  the  actual 
condition  of  the  Indian  army.  I  am  sorry  to  perceive,  however, 
that  "  there  is  too  much  heat  to  permit  the  truth  to  coagulate," 
as  one  of  the  American  officers  remarked.  As  the  Prince  desired 
to  see  the  division  under  Major-General  Watson  work  in  the 
open,  a  field-day  for  cavalry  was  ordered  this  forenoon.  Three 
brigades,  each  three  regiments  strong,  except  the  4th,  which  had 
only  two,  were  drawn  up  on  the  plain  between  the  Kurnaul  road 
and  the  Jumna.  I  cannot  describe  the  movements,  but  it  may 
be  said  the  force  was  handled  beautifully.  When  the  brigades 
changed  front  to  the  left  and  formed  in  four  lines  for  action,  it 
was  one  of  the  prettiest  sights  imaginable.  The  flanks  of  the 
lines  were  carefully  covered,  in  advance  or  retreat,  every  disposi- 
tion was  made  for  mutual  support.  Successive  charges  of 
regiments  in  squadron  were  delivered,  the  front  line  retiring 
through  the  intervals,  sustained  by  the  next.  A  dash  at  the 
enemy's  guns  in  extended  order  made  under  cover  of  a  dismount- 
ed force,  was  not  so  happy,  as  man  and  horse  closed  too  much 


374  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

together,  owing  to  inveterate  habit,  when  the  moment  came  to 
charge.  As  soon  as  the  movements  were  over,  his  Royal  High- 
ness attended  an  amusing  exhibition  of  soldiers'  games  and  sports, 
tent-pegging,  feats  of  arms,  riding  and  polo  playing. 

The  pleasant  time  here  has  not  been  without  troubles.  Cap- 
tain Glyn  is  confined  to  his  tent  by  an  attack  of  dysentry.  Bub- 
bur  Jung  is  so  seriously  ill  as  to  give  rise  to  anxiety  among  his 
people,  who  naturally  consider  him  to  be  about  the  most  impor- 
tant person  in  camp,  and  both  must  remain  here  after  we  have  left. 
The  special  tVain  to  Lahore  left  the  Delhi  Station  before  mid- 
night. The  Prince  was  escorted  by  a  great  body  of  officers, 
headed  by  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala,  with  whom  he  had  dined. 
The  roadway  was  illuminated,  and  a  pretty  fashion  in  vogue  at 
the  military  festivals  here,  of  having  soldiers,  each  with  a  torch 
in  his  hand,  to  mark  the  lines  of  camps,  was  followed  all  the 
way.  The  great  personnel — suite,  officers  attached,  servants  and 
attendant  natives — was  safely  stowed  away,  and  the  train  moved 
off  from  the  metropolis  of  the  old  Moguls  out  into  the  night, 
amid  tremendous  cheers,  on  its  way  to  the  capital  of  the  short- 
lived dynasty  of  the  Sikh.  The  arrangements  of  Major-General 
Browne  were  complete.  It  was  cold  enough  for  all  our  rugs  and 
wrappers,  but  when  he  comes,  "  Sleep  is  lord  of  all,"  and  the 
clatter  of  the  iron  horse  over  many  a  famous  battle-field  did  not 
disturb  the  weary  travellers. 

January  18. — Lahore  looked  its  best  in  the  bright  light  of 
early  morning  as  the  special  train  slid  up  to  the  red  cloth  where 
the  Governor  of  the  Punjaub  and  the  Military  and  Civil  Staff  of 
the  Province,  with  a  very  large  assemblage  of  Europeans,  were 
waiting  on  the  platform  of  the  Railway  Station  which,  ornamented 
with  turrets  and  battlements,  looks  as  though  it  aimed  at  being 
mistaken  for  a  fortification.  The  Prince's  cortege  made  a  sweep 
round  the  town,  passing  the  encampments  of  the  Rajas  of  the 
Punjaub.  Before  each  encampment  floated  the  banner  of  the 
Raja  to  whom  it  belonged.  In  front  stood  in  line,  elephants,  led 
horses  in  gold  and  silver  saddle-cloths  and  jewelled  caparisons  ; 
the  Chief's  armed  retainers,  regular  and  irregular,  lining  the 


LAHORE.  375 

roadway.  The  roll  of  drums,  blare  of  trumpets,  and  clang  and 
outburst  of  strange  instruments  saluted  the  Prince.  Lance  and 
sword,  morion  and  cuirass  flashed,  and  all  was  light  and  beautiful. 
The  very  spirit  of  chivalry  hovered  over  these  martial  faces  and 
noble  forms.  Such  might  have  been,  but  for  that  villanous 
saltpetre  and  those  dastard  fire-arms,  a  triumphant  procession  of 
Saladin  or  of  Timour  himself.  The  combination  of  colors  forced 
the  beholder  to  close  his  eyes  for  a  moment  and  ask  if  it  were  a 
dream.  Fenced  in  by  this  extraordinary  pageantry,  stood  or 
squatted,  silent,  motionless,  what  some  time  hence  will  be  desig- 
nated by  Native  reformers  "  the  majesty  of  the  people."  It  was 
also  on  house-tops  and  on  walls,  and  seemed  much  taken  with 
the  aspect  of  its  Princely  brother,  whom  it  was  able  to  recognize 
by  reason  of  the  gold  umbrella  carried  over  his  head  in  the 
Governor's  carriage.  The  flat  roofs  and  carved  lattices  give  the 
city  a  strong  resemblance  to  Cairo  before  the  improvements  nearly 
demolished  the  Orientalism  of  the  most  Oriental  of  cities.  There 
is,  however,  an  Orientalism  which  is  not  altogether  Indian  in  the 
aspect  of  the  town  and  people — a  mixture  of  the  Punjaub  and 
Krim  Tartary,  Jewish  faces  and  Tartar  dwellings. 

There  was  so  much  to  admire,  that  the  way  to  Government 
House  seemed  very  short — but  it  is  four  miles.  Being  an  em- 
inently practical  people,  we  have  made  the  tomb  of  a  cousin  of 
Akhbar  into  a  residence  for  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  but  it  is 
said  to  have  been  occupied  by  a  Sikh  General  before  Sir  J.  Law- 
rence obtained  possession.  The  living  found  it  very  comfortable. 
There  was  a  guard  of  honor  of  the  Q2d  Highlanders,  100  strong, 
picked  men,  with  pipers  and  colors,  outside.  As  soon  as  the 
Prince  had  been  introduced  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  family 
and  Staff,  and  had  changed  his  uniform,  it  was  time  to  receive 
the  address  of  the  Municipality.  They  were  ushered  up  stairs  to 
the  drawing-room,  where  the  Prince  stood  in  the  midst  of  his 
Staff,  and  were  presented  by  Sir  H.  Davies.  The  address  was  read 
by  a  Native  gentleman.*  It  would  have  astonished  members  of 
an  English  Town  Council  to  have  seen  their  brethren  of  Lahore. 
*  See  Appendix. 


3/6  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

in  turbans  of  the  finest  gold-tissue,  brocaded  gowns  and  robes, 
coils  of  emeralds,  rubies,  and  pearls,  finer  than  any  Lord  Mayor's 
chain,  round  their  necks. 

A  levee  of  European  officers,  officials,  and  private  persons 
followed.  When  that  stream  ran  out,  another  of  a  different 
character,  far  more  sparkling  and  bright  if  somewhat  more 
erratic,  was  turned  on — a  levee  of  the  Native  Chiefs. 

The  reception  of  these  gentlemen  was  interesting,  because 
they  were  a  new  type  of  men,  and,  moreover,  exceedingly  pictur- 
esque and  brilliant.  First  came  the  Raja  of  Nabha,  a  Jat  Sikh, 
escorted  by  cavalry,  honored  with  a  salute  of  eleven  guns,  a 
guard  of  honor,  and  a  band  to  play  for  him.  He  was  met,  on 
alighting  from  his  carnage,  by  one  of  the  Prince's  aides-de-camp, 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase  by  Major  Sartorius  who  conduct- 
ed him  up  the  stairs,  all  by  "programme."  He  takes  a  great 
interest  in  his  .troops,  on  whose  air  the  Prince  complimented  him, 
to  the  Raja's  evident  pleasure.  Next  came  the  Raja  of  Kupur- 
t  hul  la,  whom  many  remembered  at  Lord  Clyde's  camp  in  Oudh 
towards  the  close  of  the  great  rebellion,  full  of  vigor,  fond  of 
sporting,  and  never  better  pleased  than  when  he  was  entertain- 
ing officers  at  a  grand  shikar,  but  now  so  broken  that  he  is 
scarcely  able  to  take  part  in  the  conversation,  although  he  speaks 
English  with  fluency.  At  1.30  P.  M.  the  Raja  of  Mundee,  an 
eleven-gun  Chief  from  the  Hills,  where  he  rules  a  State,  at  one 
time  much  disturbed  by  questions  of  succession,  till  one  John 
Lawrence  turned  his  eye  upon  them.  The  result  was  that  there 
wandered  in  indigent  dignity  about  Simla  an  excellent  gentleman, 
Meean  Ruttun  Sing,  who  must  be  recollected  by  visitors  there  in 
1858,  and  above  all  by  Lord  William  Hay,  to  whom  he  rendered 
efficient  service  in  suppressing  incipient  trouble.  Poor  man  ! 
Some  3oo/.  a  year  represented  the  whole  of  his  allowance.  He 
wrote  a  letter  from  Benares,  years  ago,  the  last  I  heard  of  him, 
v/ith  an  address,  which,  translated,  read  — "  From  the  street 
of  the  Beggarman  living  over  the  gutter."  The  present  Chief  is 
a  Sanscrit  scholar,  and  encourages  the  students  and  professors 
of  that  language. 


THE    PUNJAUB    CHIEFS.  377 

The  Raja  of  Faridkot,  eleven  guns,  received  at  1.30  p.  M. 
The  Raja  of  Chamba  (eleven-gun  man)  put  down  for  1.28  P.  M. 
The  first  is  a  Sikh,  with  a  very  nice  little  troop  of  soldiers.  The 
second,  a  lad  who  takes  great  interest  in  affairs,  came  down  to 
Delhi  last  year  to  assist  at  the  Durbar.  'At  1.35  p.  M.  the  Raja 
of  Sukkut  (eleven  guns),  a  Rajpoot  of  the  purest  descent,  Chief 
of  a  small  State  near  Simla.  At  1.50  P.M.  the  Sirdar  of  Kalsia  ; 
at  1.52  P.  M.  the  Nawab  of  Pataudi ;  at  1.54  P.  M.  the  Nawab  of 
Loharu  ;  at  1.56  P.  M.  the  Nawab  of  Dujana  ;  at  1.58  p.  M.  the 
Raja  Shamshar  Sing  of  Golar,  a  Hill  Rajpoot,  one  of  the  best 
sportsmen  in  the  Punjaub  ;  none  of  these  latter  entitled  to  guns, 
the  first  only  being  served  to  utter  and  pan  by  the  Prince,  the 
rest  receiving  it  from  one  of  the  officers  of  his  suite,  and  being 
conducted  no  further  on  their  way  than  the  foot  of  the  staircase. 

Later  in  the  day  the  Prince  went  to  see  the  Jail,  a  model 
establishment  abounding  in  ruffians.  Among  the  latter  must  be 
reckoned  a  brace  of  Thugs,  one  of  whom,  aged  70,  made  the 
pleasant  statement  that  he  had  murdered  more  than  250  people; 
the  other,  who  looked  as  if  he  might  have  equalled  his  great  master 
if  time  had  permitted  it,  said  that  he  could  only  account  for  35. 
The  older  gentleman,  by  way  of  experimcntum  in  corpore  nobili, 
gave,  by  order,  Dr.  Fayrer's  wrist  a  twist,  the  effect  of  which  the 
latter  felt  next  day. 

The  Prince  next  drove  to  the  Citadel,  and  saw  the  sun  set- 
ting over  the  broad  plains  and  placid  river  from  the  tower  from 
which  the  Lion  of  Lahore  was  wont  to  watch  its  rise.  In  the  Ar- 
mory the  Prince's  attention  was  attracted  by  tiny  cannon  mount- 
ed on  a  revolving  frame,  which  he  was  told  belonged  to  Dhuleep 
Sing  when  he  was  a  little  boy,  unconscious  of  the  coming  of  the 
calm  joys  of  Kelvedon  and  of  the  glory  of  the  grandest  bags  of 
the  season.  At  the  Prince's  request  the  toy  was  sent  down  to 
Bombay  to  be  conveyed  to  England. 

January  19. — Although  the  Sikh  and  Hill  Chiefs  were  in 
their  persons,  tents,  equipages,  and  followings,  perhaps  the  most 
picturesque  persons  of  the  various  ruling  classes  summoned  to 
pay  their  respects  to  the  Prince,  I  daresay  that  an  account  of 


3/8  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

potentates  of  such  limited  political  influence  would  not  be  read 
with  much  interest ;  in  fact,  I  fear  there  have  been  too  many  de- 
tails of  the  sort.  But  what  can  one  do  ?  There  the  Chiefs  are, 
and  for  each  there  is  a  programme  as  strict  as  if  he  were  King 
or  Kaiser.  Kalsia,  Sukkut,  Chumba,  Faridkot,  Mundee,  Kup- 
purtulla,  Nabha,  Bahawalpur — names, — mere  names  !  yet  the 
rulers  of  these  little  States  exercise  more  moral  control  over  the 
people  than  all  our  magistrates,  except  in  so  far  as  it  is  our  Gov- 
ernment which  is  paramount  to  their  rulers.  Their  tents  ;  their 
henchmen  ;  their  arrays  of  horse  and  foot ;  their  elephants,  camels, 
musicians,  these  were  of  different  degrees  of  magnificence  ;  but  the 
ensemble  was  always  striking,  and  their  presents  offered  in  diver- 
sity, if  not  value,  a  contrast  to  the  uniformity  of  medals,  arms, 
whips,  books,  &c.,  bestowed  on  them.  In  their  Durbar  tents  there 
were  fine  chairs  beneath  canopies  of  cloth  of  gold,  upheld  by  silver 
poles,  and  lamps,  and  chandeliers,  and  gaudy-colored  prints  ; 
the  carpets  were  magnificent  specimens  of  Cashmere  and  Per- 
sian work.  When  one  thought  of  the  money  it  must  have  cost 
to  have  got  ready  all  that  splendor,  and  to  have  carried  it  so 
far — from  Mundee,  for  instance — and  of  the  outlay  on  that  mass 
of  elephants,  camels,  and  horsemen,  and  heard  that  the  Chief 
was  "  hard  up  "  before  he  came,  it  became  subject  for  considera- 
tion whether  the  attendance  would  not  be  a  cause  of  embarrass- 
ment hereafter.  The  absence  of  a  Chief,  however,  would  have 
been  an  affront,  as  with  each  "  noblesse  oblige."  As  their  en- 
campments formed  two  sides  of  a  triangle,  at  the  base  of  which 
was  the  Mausoleum  of  Runjeet  Sing,  they  might,  if  philosophi- 
cally minded,  have  set  off  their  perfect  security,  and  their  im- 
munity from  the  chance  of  being  devoured  by  some  Lion  of  La- 
hore, against  the  expenditure  on  this  peaceful  display.  The  return 
visits  to  Chiefs,  and  the  opening  of  the  Soldiers'  Industrial  Ex- 
hibition at  Meean  Meer,  occupied  the  forenoon.  By  order  of 
Sir  G.  Pollock,  an  immense  quantity  of  Turcoman,  Affghan,  and 
Persian  carpets,  furs,  pushmeena,  puttoo,  and  various  fabrics, 
was  brought  down  for  inspection  to  head-quarters.  The  Prince 
bought  many  articles,  others  following  his  example,  till  none  were 


LAHORE.  3/9 

left,  and  the  merchants  went  away  the  second  day  rejoicing.  There 
were  also  Hill  men,  with  the  finest  falcons  I  ever  saw,  hunting 
eagles,  short-winged  hawks,  shaggy  Thibetan  mastiffs,  rugged 
deer-hounds,  to  tempt  purchasers,  who  had,  however,  to  contem- 
plate the  possibility  of  their  conveying  the  bargains  on  board 
ship  without  buying  the  natives  in  attendance.  Among  the  novel- 
ties of  Lahore  must  not  be  forgotten  a  char-a-banc,  drawn  by  six 
dromedaries.  How  they  were  driven  it  is  beyond  me  to  say,  but 
I  know  the  leaders  had  a  knack  of  turning  round  now  and  then 
to  see  what  those  who  were  behind  were  about. 

Lahore  has  not  increased  in  magnitude  or  in  prosperity  since 
it  came  under  our  rule  ;  but  it  was  decaying  before  Runjeet  Sing 
gave  it  importance  as  the  seat  of  his  newly-established  empire. 
Certainly  if  Lalla  Rookh  were  to  visit  it  now  she  could  see  noth- 
ing at  all  like  what  met  her  eye  in  the  poet's  dream,  where  "  mau- 
soleum and  shrines,  magnificent  and  numberless,  affected  her 
heart  and  imagination,  and  where  death  appeared  to  share  equal 
honors  with  heaven."  The  engines  which  scattered  showers  of 
confectionary  among  the  people  in  the  public  squares  are  re- 
placed by  the  locomotive  scattering  hot  ashes  and  pouring  out 
steam  at  the  station  ;  the  chariot  of  the  artisan,  adorned  with  tin- 
sel and  flying  streamers  to  exhibit  the  badges  of  his  trade,  is  now 
represented  by  a  bullock-hackery.  As  to  the  great  antiquity 
claimed  for  the  city,  some  doubts  are  entertained  by  the  writer 
of  the  capital  little  guide-book  prepared  for  the  Prince's  visit. 
But  the  city,  in  his  opinion,  must  have  been  founded  between  the 
first  and  seventh  centuries  of  the  Christian  era.  It  was  not  till 
the  reign  of  Akhbar  that  it  attained  its  highest  position  as  the 
centre  of  municipal  activity.  Jehangeer  was  fond  of  it  as  a  resi- 
dence, and  fixed  his  Court  here  in  1622.  He  was,  however,  at 
Ajmere  when  he  received  Sir  Thomas  Rowe,  an  emissary  from 
King  James  I. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  fete  in  the  Shalimar  Gardens  : 
it  was  very  cold ;  but  the  illuminations  of  the  gardens  were  ex- 
quisite— long,  broad  ribands  of  lamps  illuminating  lakes,  cascades, 
and  islands,  whereon  stood  white  marble  kiosks  and  temples — 


380  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

and  the  entertainment  gave  great  satisfaction.  I  wish  there  had 
been  more  time  to  dwell  on  the  buildings  and  doings  here,  for 
they  were  of  great  interest. 

January  20. — Last  night  it  was  bitterly  cold.  Dr.  Fayrer 
says  that  it  was  29°  in  his  tent.  My  glass  went  down  below 
freezing-point.  There  was  a  "  scuffle  "  to  get  off,  orders  were 
given  to  start  at  8  A.  M.,  and  the  servants,  European  and  Native, 
were  torpid.  A  guard  of  honor  of  the  92d,  drawn  up  with  their 
band  and  colors  in  front  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  house, 
looked  very  cold  indeed,  with  blue  noses  and  knees;  and  the 
officers  went  up  and  down  stamping  their  feet.  I  can  quite  un- 
derstand, under  the  circumstances,  the  anxiety  which  has  been 
expressed  that  the  Prince  might  have  some  experience  of  the 
hot  weather  before  he  leaves.  Indeed,  if  many  of  our  friends 
had  their  way,  they  would  use  gentle  violence  to  keep  the  Royal 
traveller  in  the  Mofussil  till  "  the  rains  "  set  in.  Lord  Ayles- 
ford,  Lord  Suffield,  and  Lord  Carington  remain  at  Lahore,  owing 
to  indisposition  in  -the  case  of  the  two  former,  and  in  that  of  the 
latter  to  the  accident  from  which  he  is  fast  recovering.  There  is 
a  narrow-gauge  line  from  Lahore  to  Wazirabad  (twenty-six  miles), 
of  which  the  most  that  can  be  said  is  that  it  is  better  than  no 
rail  at  all.  The  special  train  managed  to  reach  Wazirabad  in 
little  more  than  two  hours.  Thence  there  is  an  excellent  road 
along  which  the  party  drove  at  a  rapid  pace.  The  country  is  a 
dead  level,  with  few  trees  and  a  scanty  population,  and  the  stee- 
ple of  Sealkote  Church  is  seen  far  off,  rising  like  a  light-house  out 
of  the  sea.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  believe  that  Sealkote  is  one 
of  the  very  hottest  stations  in  India,  for  there  is  a  delusive  ap- 
pearance of  coolness  given  to  it  by  the  Himalayan  ranges, 
crowned  with  snow,  in  the  distance,  and  by  the  broad  roads 
shaded  with  overarching  trees,  which  lead  to  the  Cantonments. 
The  Prince  lunched  with  the  gth  Lancers,  and  then  continued  the 
journey  to  Jummoo,  twenty-seven  miles  from  Wazirabad.  On 
the  way  there  is  little  to  notice  except  the  increasing  dignity  of 
the  mountain  chain  in  front.  A  splendid  species  of  Euphorbia 
was  common,  and  small  forests  of  acacia  and  of  the  Buteafron- 


THE    RECEPTION    AT   JUMMOO.  381 

dosa  dotted  the  plains  along  the  roadside.  It  was  4  P.  M.  when 
the  Prince,  whose  carriage  was  escorted  by  a  troop  of  the  gih 
Lancers,  entered  the  state  of  the  Maharaja  of  Cashmere.  An 
arch  was  thrown  across  the  road  ;  at  the  other  side  a  deputation 
of  Chiefs  was  waiting  to  receive  the  Prince.  Seven  miles  from 
Jummoo,  then  quite  visible  on  a  low-lying  spur  of  the  Snowy 
Range, — it  is  something  like  Aosta  or  Stirling  as  seen  from  the 
south, — the  Maharaja  himself  appeared  with  his  principal  Sirdars 
and  a  magnificent  sowaree,  and  welcomed  the  Prince  to  his  do- 
minions. The  cortege  went  at  a  rapid  rate,  but  it  was  dusk  be- 
fore we  reached  the  Towee.  On  the  near  bank  there  was  a  vast 
number  of  elephants.  The  carriages,  halted  at  the  top  of  a  ridge, 
and  we  could  look  down  on  the  broad  river,  covered  with  boats 
pulled  by  rowers  in  scarlet  and  yellow  liveries,  and  dotted  with 
men  floating  on  skins,  below  us.  On  the  other  side,  up  the  steep 
ascent  to  the  ancient  walls  and  the  city  gate,  were  lines  of  cav- 
alry in  armor,  and  of  infantry.  The  old  hill  fort  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  gorge  was  thundering  out  a  salute,  and  astonishing 
Himalayan  wolves  and  jackals.  When  the  Prince,  mounted  on 
an  elephant  with  the  Maharaja,  led  the  procession  across  the 
ri\er,  joyous  cries,  ringing  .of  bells,  firing  of  guns  and  the  clang 
of  music,,  made  an  indescribable  tumult.  The  road  from  the 
river-side  up  to  the  city,  winding  for  two  miles  through  roads  and 
streets  lighted  up  brightly,  lined  with  the  Maharaja's  army,  and 
filled  with  Hill  people,  Cashmerees,  Lamas  or  priests  from  Leh 
and  Laclak,  Afghans,  Sikhs,  &c.,  presented  Hie  most  original 
types  and  spectacle.  On  the  summit  of  the  ridge  above  Jummoo 
was  a  huge  building — carpeted,  and  hung  with  shawls,  pictures, 
and  mirrors — built  expressly  for  the  reception  at  enormous 
cost ;  it  was  only  roofed  a  few  hours  ago.  This  pile  was  so.frail 
withal,  that  the  walls  shook  when  the  salutes  were  fired  ;  and  it 
was  so  damp,  that  his  Royal  Highness  preferred  the  tents  erect- 
ed on  the  elevated  plateau,  as  a  pis-aller  close  at  hand,  between 
the  Palace  and  the  city. 

It  was  dark  by  the  time  the  Prince  arrived  at  the  Palace.     I 
am    not   quite   sure   whether  the   presence   of  the  detachment 


382  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

and  band  of  the  gth  Lancers  was  properly  appreciated  by  the 
natives.  Just  as  the  dreadful  noises  produced  by  the  instru- 
ments in  which  the  Cashmerees  rejoice  cause  Europeans  great 
agony  of  ear,  so  did  the  former  affect  or  really  feel  pain  at  the 
martial  airs  which  the  excellent  band  of  the  Lancers  was  per- 
forming. As  the  Prince's  elephant  was  approaching  the  piazza 
in  front  of  the  Palace,  the  band,  which  had  been  in  front, 
wheeled  around  and  commenced  to  play  "  God  save  the  Queen," 
but  the  sight  of  the  great  beast  was  too  much  for  the  horses, 
which  dispersed,  capering  and  plunging,  in  spite  of  their  riders, 
and  sending  the  air  to  the  winds.  After  the  usual  Durbar  and 
ceremonies,  the  Prince  was  conducted  to  a  veranda  outside  the 
Palace,  and  witnessed  a  fine  display  of  fireworks,  representing  a 
general  action.  Afterwards  there  was  a  monster  banquet,  to 
which  all  the  Europeans  in  the  enormous  encampment  were  in- 
vited. 

January  21. — Rain  fell  in  the  morning.  A  sporting  party 
was  arranged  for  the  Prince,  but  it  was  not  very  successful.  Al- 
though his  Royal  Highness  killed  some  deer  and  pig,  the  display 
of  native  sporting  was  a  failure.  A  cheetah  let  loose  at  a  deer 
ran  after  a  dog.  Ths  dog  turned,  and  the  cheetah  fled.  A  lynx 
was  slipped  at  a  fox  ;  Reynard  showed  fight,  and  lynx  and 
fox  made  up  and  were  friends.  Nor  would  the  lynxes  follow 
hares  which  were  loosed  for  them  ;  but  Puss  received  scant  mercy 
from  the  falcons,  which  invariably  succeeded  in  killing  them. 
Afterwards  there  was  polo-playing  by  the  Baltee  Hill  people,  who 
have  an  evil  reputation  on  this  side  of  the  Himalayan  slope.  The 
players,  mounted  upon  ragged  ponies  and  attired  in  bright-colored 
silk,  dividing  into  two  parties,  commenced  the  game  ;  the  multi- 
tude yelled  with  delight ;  but  certainly  there  was  no  ground  for 
approbation  according  to  our  notions.  Pulwans,  sinewy,  active 
wrestlers,  covered  with  oil,  and  very  difficult  to  grasp,  followed. 
Then  spring-boards  and  two  camels  were  brought  out.  The 
athletes,  taking  a  short  run,  threw  somersaults  clean  over  the 
camels,  one  fellow  leaping  finally  into  the  howdah  of  an  elephant, 
which  declined  to  have  a  repetition  of  the  feat.  The  drawing  of 


GAMES    AND    PASTIMES. 

nets  in  the  river  revealed  the  fact  that  the  fishers  of  Cashmere 
inherit  the  arts  of  Cleopatra,  for  fish  were  found  all  ready  fastened 
to  their  meshes  by  the  gills. 

Procession  was  formed  in  the  evening  through  the  illuminated 


THE   GUEST   OF    CASHMERE. 


city  to  the  old  Palace,  where  the  Maharaja  gave  a  dinner  to  the 
Prince  and  a  small  party  of  Europeans.  Then  there  was  a  weird 
performance  of  a  sacred  dancing  drama  by  the  Lamas  from 
Thibet,  which  rivalled  the  best  shows  of  the  Royal  tour.  More 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

fireworks  ended  the  entertainment,  which  presented  many  novel 
and  curious  features. 

January  22. — "  Baggage  at  7  A.  M.  The  Prince  and  suite  to 
leave  at  8."  And  thereupon,  long  before  dawn,  great  clamor  in 
camp ;  for  on  all  questions  of  transport,  camels,  elephants,  and, 
above  all,  "  natives,"  as  they  are  called,  express  their  feelings  in 
very  audible  fashion — and  frequently,  looked  out  at  6  A.  M. 
It  was  very  cold — an  eager  nipping  air.  Sentries,  dressed  in 
long  fur  coats,  above  which  peered  bayonet  and  plumes,(  and 
beneath  which  slipper-like  shoes  beat  tattoo  on  the  ground, 
were  inviting  the  earliest  rays  of  the  sun  to  thaw  them  into  life. 
Yellow-trousered,  blue-coated  policemen  came  on  the  scene  ;  for 
it  was  feared  that  the  shawls  on  the  tables,  and  the  satin  resais, 
or  coverlets  of  the  beds  in  the  tents,  might  be  "  conveyed  "  when 
we  had  left ;  and  a  hint  was  given  by  the  officers  in  charge  to 
the  Cashmeree  authorities.  Wild  Hill-men  from  Iskardo  and 
Thibet ;  falconers,  carrying  eagles,  falcons,  noble  peregrines  and 
hawks  ;  mountaineers,  with  clogs  covered  with  hair  as  thick  and 
coarse  as  the  coat  of  a  bear,  cheetahs  and  Persian  greyhounds ; 
live  deer,  heads  and  horns  of  yak-deer  and  antelopes,  brought 
from  all  parts  of  Cashmere  for  the  Prince,  were  arrayed  in  front 
of  the  Palace. 

Soon  after  8  A.  M.  the  Prince  left  Jummoo,  in  all  the  splendor 
of  a  state  procession  of  elephants  with  magnificent  trappings, 
and  a  grand  "sowaree."  His  escort  was  furnished  by  the 
Maharaja's  Cuirassier  Lancer  regiment,  before  which  was  borne 
a  green  and  gold  standard.  There  were  bands  of  music  with 
kettle-drums  and  trumpets  six  or  seven  feet  along.  All  the 
people  turned  out  to  look  at  the  show,  which  certainly  deserved 
the  compliment.  At  the  appointed  seven  miles'  distance  from 
the  town  the  Maharaja  took  leave  of  the  Prince,  and  expressed 
his  deep  sense  of  the  obligation  under  which  he  was  laid  by  the 
visit  of  the  eldest  son  of  the  Queen.  The  Ministers  and  nobles 
came  on  to  the  British  frontier,  where  there  was  a  triumphal 
arch  inscribed,  "  This  road  is  for  our  illustrious  Prince."  The 
return  was  pleasant,  if  dusty,  there  being  a  short  halt  at  Sealkote 


THE    SIKHS    CHEZ    EUX.  385 

on  the  way.  The  Prince  was  called  upon  to  perform  an  agree- 
able duty  on  his  arrival  at  Wazirabad.  He  opened  the  grand 
bridge  over  the  Chenab,  which  he  named  "  Alexandra,"  after 
the  Princess  of  Wales,  crossed  it  pro  formft,,  and  returned  to  a 
lunch  at  .the  Station,  where  a  banquet  was  set  forth  in  a  fine  hall, 
handsomely  decorated. 

The  journey  from  Wazirabad  was  continued  at  3.40  P.  M.,  by 
special  train.  It  was  quite  dark  (6  P.  M.)  when  we  arrived  at 
the  Lahore  Station.  The  citadel,  public  buildings  and  streets 
were  illuminated.-  The  Prince  drove  to  Government  House, 
and  was  glad  to  find  that  the  invalids  who  had  remained  behind 
were  quite  restored  to  health.  His  Royal  Highness  dined  with 
the  Lieutenant-Goyernor  and  Lady  Davies,  and  went  to  the 
native  entertainment,  which  was  given  at  the  College,  in  the 
Hall  of  which— a  very  fine  room — a  dais,  covered  with  a  scarlet 
carpet  loaded  with  gold  embroidery,  was  erected  at  the  end.  On 
the  right  an  excellent  full-length  portrait  of  the  Princess  of 
Wales,  and  on  the  left  a  portrait  of  the  Prince,  painted,  as  the 
inscription  stated,  by  order  of  the  Maharaja  of  Puttiala,  to  com- 
memorate the  restoration  of  the  Prince  to  health  ;  along  the 
walls  were  coats  of  arms,  banners,  and  the  emblazoned  shields 
of  the  Punjaub  Chiefs,  the  inventive  work  of  Mr.  Kipling's 
.pupils.  Underneath  each  shield  was  a  Punjaubee,  representing 
the  district  from  which  he  came,  armed  to  the  teeth,  standing  on 
a  pedestal.  When  the  Prince  was  seated,  the  givers  of  the  ban- 
quet were  introduced — Rajpoots,  Pathans,  Beloochees.  Among 
the  120  Chiefs  were  descendants  of  the  Great  Mogul,  members 
of  the  Royal  family  of  Delhi,  of  the  Royal  family  of  Afghanistan 
(one  of  whom,  Shahzadah  Shahpoor,  actually  sat  on  the  throne), 
descendants  of  Nanuk,  the  founder  of  the  Sikh  faith,  and  of 
Govind,  who  made  the  Sikhs  a  distinguished  nation.  Then  a 
number  of  Natives  received  one  by  one  from  the  Prince's  hand 
commemorative  medals,  ribands  and  rewards. 

When  the  ceremony  was  over,  the  Prince  ascended  to  the  roof 
to  witness  the  fireworks.  It  was  worth  miles  of  travel.  The  fort, 
parapets,  and  battlements  illuminated,  towered  above  a  tumul- 
J7  25 


386  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

tuous  sea  of  heads,  which  seemed  to  roll  against  the  fiery 
barriers.  The  fireworks  were  heralded  by  fire  balloons,  which 
followed  in  a  continuous  stream,  till  the  sky  was  loaded  with 
novel  constellations.  People  with  naked  swords,  putting  one  in 
mind  of  Highland  practices  of  a  similar  description,  danced 
round  great  bonfires  ;  but  they  were  too  far  off  to  be  as  effective 
as  they  were  meant  to  be.  The  wind  somewhat  marred  the 
15007.  worth  of  rockets,  bombs,  Catherine  wheels,  and  fixed 
pieces,  hissing,  bursting,  and  blazing  together,  and  out  in  twenty 
minutes.  Eight  Punjaubee  girls  in  robes  plated  with  precious 
metals  and  jewels  were  introduced,  and,  standing  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  Prince  on  the  roof,  sang  an  ode  composed  in  his 
honor  in  very  doleful  monotonous  fashion.  The  Prince  and  the 
European  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  led  to  the  supper-room, 
which  was  laid  out  with  six  tables,  at  each  of  which  covers  for 
ten  were  laid.  The  Chiefs  retired  as  soon  as  the  Prince  was 
seated.  The  Prince  was  escorted  by  the  Native  gentlemen  to 
his  carriage,  and  drove  through  immense  crowds  along  the 
illuminated  roads  back  to  his  head-quarters. 

January  23. — Canon  Duckworth  celebrated  Divine  service 
at  Government  House,  and  the  difficulty  as  to  the  choice  between 
Lahore  and  Meean  Meer  in  the  matter  of  churches  was  thus 
happily  solved.  Later,  the  Prince,  attended  by  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  by  Mr.  Thornton,  and  members  of  his  suite,  visited 
the  Museum  and  other  places  of  interest. 

January  24. — The  Prince  left  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Sir 
Henry  Davies  for  Agra  at  noon.  The  garrison  of  Meean  Meer 
and  the  Lahore  Volunteers  furnished  guards  of  honor  and  troops 
to  line  the  streets.  "  The  Chiefs  present  in  Lahore  and  the 
officers  in  charge,"  as  the  official  programme  calls  them,  were 
present  in  places  pointed  out  to  them  by  Dr.  Thornton,  who  has 
been  indefatigable  in  all  kinds  of  official  and  unofficial  ways  to 
make  things  go  smoothly,  and  has  rendered  many  services  to  the 
strangers,  which  cause  them  to  feel  great  gratification  at  the 
news  of  his  promotion.  At  the  railway  station  Sir  Charles  Reid 
showed  his  plan  of  loading  an  ordinary  train  with  artillery.  In 


UMRITSUR.  387 

twenty  minutes  Captain  Hawkins's  battery  (86  men  and  94 
horses)  were  placed  in  17  ordinary  wagons  and  6  trucks  at- 
tached to  the  Prince's  train.  When  the  Prince  reached  Umrit- 
sur,  the  horses  and  guns  were  run  out,  and  opened  as  if  for  ac- 
tion, to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  crowd  of  Natives,  in  five 
minutes  after  the  arrival  of  the  train. 

The  Prince  alighted  under  a  salute  from  the  fort,  Govind- 
ghur,  and  drove  through  the  streets  to  the  building  prepared 
for  his  reception.  The  route  was  lined  and  arched  with  ar- 
tificial cypress-trees,  gilded  branches,  and  garlands,  with  the 
inscription,  "  God  bless  our  future  Shah  in  Shah  !  "  and  before 
every  doorway  were  trays  of  rose-leaves.  The  Municipality — 
Sikh,  Mussulman,  and  Hindoo — presented  an  address  expressive 
of  most  fervent  loyalty.  The  Prince  afterwards  visited  the 
Church  and  the  Mission  School,  where  he  was  received  by  Mr. 
Baring,  chief  of  the  Mission.  Several  Native  clergymen  were 
presented — one  a  brother  of  the  Raja  of  Kuppartulla;  another,  a 
well-known  mathematical  teacher ;  Emamadeen,  a  controversial 
writer.  The  great  "  sight  "  of  Umritsur  is  the  Golden  Temple, 
wherein  is  the  Holy  Book  or  Grunt  of  Nanuk.  Close  by  is  the 
Temple,  where  all  true  Sikhs  are  or  should  be  initiated. 
Multitudes  assembled  to  see  the  Prince  pass  to  the  sacred  place. 
Slippers  were  prepared  for  him,  as  the  priests  declared  that  he 
could  not  enter  the  Shrine  without  taking  off  his  shoes.  Several 
members  of  the  suite  visited  the  Shrine  before  the  Prince's 
arrival.  But.  it  was  considered  inexpedient  for  the  Prince  to 
visit  the  interior,  and  he  surveyed  the  Golden  Temple  from  the 
terrace,  in  sight  of  the  crowd,  who  salaamed  respectfully.  Pres- 
ents were  given  to  the  guardians  of  the  Mausoleum  at  Lahore,  from 
whom  a  curious  epistle  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix,*  and 
I  think  there  was  also  a  donation  made  to  those  of  the 
Shrine  at  Umritsur.  The  journey  to  Agra  was  continued  at 
dusk. 

It  was  close  upon   midnight  when  the  train  pulled  up   at  the 

*  See  Appendix. 


300          THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

station  of  Rajpoorah,  where  the  Maharaja  of  Puttiala  was 
waiting  to  receive  his  guest.  It  may  be  assumed  that  some,  at 
least,  of  the  passengers  in  the  Royal  train  were  rather  sorry 
when  they  were  awakened  by  a  braying  of  bands,  the  firing  of 


A   CLOSE    SHAVE   WHILE   THE   TRAIN    WAITS. 

cannon,  and  the  glare  of  a  great  illumination.  The  Maharaja, 
whose  diamonds  one  can  well  get  tired  of  hearing  about,  but 
which  are  always  pleasant  to  see,  was  surrounded  by  his  Min- 
isters and  officers.  Carriages,  guards  of  honor,  and  the  Raja's 


ARRIVAL    AT    AGRA.  389 

troops  were  drawn  up  at  the  railway  station.  It  is  a  very  small 
place,  an  ordinary  roadside  platform,  but  it  was  made  very  fine 
with  garlands,  lamps,  transparencies,  and  scarlet  cloth.  A  grand 
palace  of  canvas,  hung  with  silk  shawls  and  carpets,  with 
mirrors,  chandeliers,  and  engravings  and  pictures,  room  within 
room,  had  been  prepared.  The  banquet  was  brought  from 
Calcutta.  After  the  health  of  the  Queen,  the  Maharaja  pro- 
posed the  health  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  Amid  discharges  of 
cannon  and  pyrotechnic  outbursts,  the  Prince  bade  good-by  to 
the  delighted  Maharaja,  and  continued  his  journey. 

January  25.  —  The  red  walls  and  towers  of  the  Fort  of 
Agra  came  in  sight  a  little  before  4  P.  M.  The  train  thundered 
over  the  grand  bridge  which  spans  the  broad  Jumna,  now  mean- 
dering through  beds  of  sand.  Presently  up  rose  the  clamor,  to 
which  all  are  so  accustomed,  that,  as  the  miller  wakes  up  when 
the  clack  of  the  wheel  stops,  so  gentlemen  who  have  been  travel- 
ling so  long  to  such  accompaniments  of  music,  voices,  and  can- 
non, consider  something  has  gone  wrong  if  they  do  not  hear  the 
familiar  .sounds  at  their  arrival  or  departure,  conscious  though 
they  be  that  not  one  note  of  sound  or  voice,  not  one  grain  of 
gunpowder  is  expended  in  their  honor.  The  Commissioner,  the 
Major-General  commanding  the  Division,  the  Brigadier,  the 
Magistrate,  the  Station  officers,  &c.,  were  on  the  platform.  The 
A  Battery,  i5th  Brigade  Royal  Artillery,  head-quarters  and  one 
squadron  of  the  lotl  Hussars,  two  squadrons  i6th  Bengal 
Cavalry,  and  all  the  troops  that  could  be  collected  in  the  Divi- 
sion were  on  duty.  Along  the  road  were  stands  and  platforms 
belonging  to  Chiefs,  communities,  towns  or  districts  in  the 
Lieutenant-Governor's  jurisdiction — Hindoo  and  Mohammedan, 
covered  with  tinsel,  decked  with  streamers,  and  painted  in  the 
brightest  hues  in  native  fashion.  In  these,  bands  of  musicians 
and  spectators  were  seated.  The  names  of  those  who  erected 
the  stands,  and  inscriptions  bidding  the  Prince  welcome  and  in- 
voking the  blessings  of  God  upon  his  head  and  upon  his  visit,  were 
lettered  upon  them  in  Ordoo,  Persian,  or  English.  The  pro- 
cession was  of  truly  Oriental  pomp.  The  elephants,  caparisoned 


390 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 


with  extraordinary  richness,  and  painted  in  the  patterns  mos 
in  approval  among  the  professors  of  elephantine  decoration, 
were  told  off  to  their  places,  according  to  a  printed  list,  so  that 
no  mistake  could  occur.  They  put  me  in  mind  of  the  great  ships 
which  I  saw  long,  long  ago,  when  the  Queen  made  her  first 
naval  inspection  at  Spitheacl.  It  was  a  proud  beast  which  sa- 
laamed, and  sank  down  to  the  ground  to  receive  the  Prince.  The 


PAINTING   THE   PRINCE'S    ELEPHANT. 

(A  Sketch  at  Gwalior.} 

howdah  was  of  the  richest  fashion,  and  by  reason  of  the  um- 
brella and  fans,  and  other  apparatus  of  dignity  borne  by  the  at- 
tendants, the  identity  of  him  whom  all  had  assembled  to  honor 
was  plainly  marked.  Probably  the  mahout  felt  little  satisfaction 
in  knowing  that  he,  one  of  the  despised  ones  of  the  East,  was 
the  master  of  the  wise  and  strong  beast  which  was  to  bear  so  pre- 
cious a  burden.  As  some  Admiral,  leading  the  van  of  his  fleet, 


THE    CHIEFS.  39 1 

amid  great  fluttering  of  streamers,  discharge  of  cannon,  and  the 
cries  of  exulting  multitudes,  puts  to  sea,  the  Prince  set  out  at 
the  head  of  the  magnificent  procession,  which  was  soon  winding 
beneath  the  walls  of  the  grand  old  fort.  The  members  of  the 
Government,  the  Chiefs  and  others,  then  fell  in,  so  that  there 
was  a  mighty  train  going  up  from  the  Jumna  towards  the  camp 
But  the  wind  blew  high,  and  the  dust  was  of  the  most  aggravat- 
ing density  and  profusion,  obscuring  much  of  the  brilliancy  of 
the  spectacle,  and  giving  no  small  discomfort  to  the  spectators 
as  well  as  to  those  who  took  part  in  it.  In  front  escorts  of  the 
1 5th  Bengal  Cavalry  and  of  the  loth  Hussars.  But  why  did 
not  the  bands  play  ?  Nothing  could  have  been  more  inspiriting 
or  have  given  greater  finish  to  the  procession  than  the  perform- 
ance of  martial  flourishes  and  music  of  triumphal  and  joyous 
character.  The  camp,  pitched  on  the  old  ground  whereon  the 
cavalry  action  was  fought  on  the  morning  of  Greathed's  arrival 
with  the  relieving  force  from  Delhi,  was  spacious  and  splendid, 
like  that  we  have  seen  at  Benares,  and  almost  as  grand  as  that 
we  had  just  left  at  Delhi.  When  the  Prince's  elephant  arrived 
in  front  of  the  Durbar  tent,  it  faced  round,  and  the  elephants  o~ 
the  suite,  following,  wore,  tacked,  and  ranged  themselves  in  a 
curved  line  on  the  right ;  the  European  authorities,  civil  and 
military,  Nawabs,  Rajahs,  and  Sirdars  passed  in  review,  saluting 
the  Prince — a  coup  de  theatre  well  conceived  and  admirably  exe- 
cuted. 

January  26.  —  From  "  an  early  hour,"  which  means  any 
time  last  night,  tomtom-ing,  growling  of  camels,  neighing  of 
horses,  trumpetings  of  elephants,  and  the  infinite  variety  of 
tumult  which  vexes  the  dweller  in  tents,  raged  round  the  Head- 
quarters' Camp ;  and  as  morning  dawned,  trumpet  flourishes, 
bugle  calls,  and  drumming  attested  the  presence  of  British  horse 
and  foot.  By  10  o'clock  the  maidan  (or  plain)  outside  the  camp, 
access  to  which  was  strictly  guarded  by  sentries,  was  crowded ; 
and  Agra  poured  out  its  thousands.  The  levee  was  well  man- 
aged, people  were  told  what  to  do  before  admission  to  the  pres- 
ence ;  but  some  leaving  their  shoes  at  the  door  by  which  they 


3Q2  THE   PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

entered,  had  difficulty  in  finding  them  on  their  exit,  an  inconveni- 
ence as  great  to  natives  as  if  Europeans  were  left  without  their 
hats.  Comfortable  and  capacious  as  the  tents  are,  the  interior 
must  appear  poor  to  eyes  accustomed  to  colored-glass  chandeliers, 
huge  mirrors,  golden  canopies,  brocades,  and  gaudy-colored  en- 
gravings ;  but  as  one  said,  the  presence  of  the  Prince  "makes 
them  glow  with  light."  After  the  levee  fourteen  Chiefs  were 
received.  At  11.30.  A.M.  seventeen  rounds  for  the  Maharao 
Raja  of  Boondee,  whose  cortege  whirled  up  the  main  street 
amid  blinding  clouds  of  dust,  with  an  escort  of  cavalry,  three 
aides-de-camp,  irregular  horse,  and  retainers  on  foot  in  singular 
costumes.  The  Maharao,  in  his  day  a  noted  hunter,  is  a  Tory 
Chief,  a  Rajpoot  of  the  bluest  blood,  intensely  Conservative,  and 
a  fine  specimen  of  a  native  gentleman.  The  Prince  won  his 
heart  by  remarking  that  he  heard  the  Maharao  had  attended  a 
Durbar  held  by  Lord  William  Bentinck,  and  had  witched  him 
by  noble  deeds  of  horsemanship.  After  him  came  the  Raja  of 
Bikaneer  —  a  Lord  of  the  Desert,  whose  capital  is  separated 
from  the  nearest  road  by  200  miles  of  rolling  sand,  which  he 
and  his  retinue  had  crossed  in  the  only  ships  which  can  navigate 
such  seas — the  famed  camels  of  Bikaneer.  The  Raja  has  been 
to  Benares,  Lucknow,  and  Delhi  •  and  has  seen  railways  and 
steamers.  Next  was  the  Maharaja  of  Kishengurh,  whose  capital 
is  exposed  to  novel  influences,  for  the  Rajpootana  Railway  now 
runs  past  it  ;  the  Chief  has  devoted  himself  to  irrigation,  and 
has  executed  tanks  and  other  public  works  of  great  utility.  It 
would  surprise  Lord  Lake  if  he  heard  that  a  Maharaja  of  Bhurt- 
poor  should  visit  a  Prince  of  Wales  at  Agra  !  His  army  is  well 
drilled  ;  his  State  well  administered  ;  he  breeds  fine  horses  and 
keeps  up  a  good  stud.  When  the  Maharaja  took  leave  his  face 
was  radiant,  for  the  Prince  promised  to  have  a  few  hours'  duck 
shooting  in  his  preserves,  and  this  was  honor  indeed.  After 
Bhurtpoor  the  Chief  of  Ulwar  paid  his  respects — a  good-looking 
lad,  who  sits  his  horse  as  if  he  meant  to  stick  to  it,  and  who 
plays  "  Badminton."  He  is  a  minor,  but  he  has  the  learned 
pundit  Munphool  for  his  tutor ;  at-the  head  of  the  State  is  an 


THE    TAJ.  393 

approved  good  administrator,  Major  Cadell,  V.  C.,  assisted  by  a 
Council  Regency.  The  Ulwar  stables  are  good,  the  stud  well 
selected,  and  English  sires  have  been  purchased  to  strengthen 
the  stock.  The  Nawab  of  Tonk  is  Chief  of  a  State  which 
few  persons  in  the  Midland  Counties,  or  even  in  Lancashire, 
ever  heard  of,  and  yet  the  Nawab's  family  rendered  great  ser- 
vices in  the  time  of  trial  eighteen. years  ago.  The  Chief  is  re- 
markable for  his  hospitality  to  English  travellers.  He  has  a 
library  and  a  good  collection  of  arms.  The  Rana  of  Dholepoor 
followed,  a  bright-looking  lad,  who  is  being  educated  by  Major 
Dennehy,  to  whom  he  seems  much  attached.  The  Maharaja  of 
Oorcha,  a  hunter  and  sportsman,  followed  ;  after  him  came  the 
Nawab  of  Rampoor — a  poet  and  a  invalid,  whom  the  Prince  in- 
vested with  the  insignia  of  the  G.  C.  S.  I.,  which  he  would  have 
received  had  he  been  able  to  have  attended  the  Calcutta  Chap- 
ter. The  Rao  Maharaja  of  Duttia,  who  resides  in  a  fine  old 
fort,  was  next  presented ;  then  the  Maharaja  of  Chickaree,  son 
of  the  Chief  whom  Lord  Canning  in  Durbar  styled  "  Faithful 
among  the  Faithless."  Last  came  the  Raja  of  Tehri,  the 
Maharaja  of  Shalpoora,  and  the  Jagirdar  of  Alipoora. 

In  the  afternoon  the  troops  of  the  Nawabs  and  Rajas  passed 
before  the  Prince — a  strange  melange  of  elephants,  camels,  horses, 
bullocks,  men  such  as  Alexander  might  have  led  into  captivity, 
knights  in  armor,  artillery  drawn  by  oxen,  for  an  hour  and  a 
half.  In  the  evening  the  Prince,  after  a  banquet  at  head-quarters 
went  to  an  evening  party  given  by  the  Lieutenant-Governor  in 
the  Fort,  which  has  been  restored  to  a  decent  condition,  and 
after  a  pleasant  dance  and  supper  returned  to  camp. 

January  27. — The  Prince  paid  return  visits  to  the  fourteen 
Chiefs.  When  these  visits  were  over,  his  Royal  Highness  drove 
through  the  suburbs,  and  after  dinner  he  went  to  see  the  Taj 
illuminated. 

Most  writers  who  have  tried  their  hands  at  a  description  of 
the  Taj  set  out  with  the  admission  that  it  is  indescribable,  and 
then  "  proceed  to  give  some  idea,"  of  it.  I  do  not  know  how 
many  of  the  fair  ladies  present  agreed  with  Colonel  Seeman's 


394          THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

wife,  who  said  to  him,  "  I  cannot  criticise,  but  I  can  tell  you  what 
I  feel.  I  would  die  to-morrow  to  have  such  a  tomb ! "  Holy 
and  profane  men,  poets,  prosers,  and  practical  people  all  write 
of  the  Taj  in  the  same  strain.  "  Too  pure,  too  holy  to  be  the 
work  of  human  hands  !  " — "  a  poem  in  marble  !  " — "  the  sigh  oE 
a  broken  heart !  " — "  poetic  marble  arrayed  in  eternal  glory ! " 
— "  the  inspiration  is  from  heaven — the  execution  worthy  of  it !  " 
But  the  Taj,  with  7000  spectators — 7000  people  who  came  to  look 
at  the  Prince  of  Wales  looking  at  the  Taj  !  Well,  it  played  its 
part  to  perfection. 

Ascending  the  terrace,  the  Prince  walked  over  to  the  shelter 
of  the  dark  gateway  of  the  mosque.  Gradually  there  grew  out, 
in  all  its  fair  proportions  and  beauty,  framed  in  the  purple  of  the 
starry  heavens,  the  marble  "  Queen  of  Sorrow,"  which  has  power 
to  dim  every  eye.  Then  trooping  into  the  illuminated  square 
came  a  band,  and  forthwith  the  soft  tender  notes  of  "  Vedrai 
carino  "  floated  through  the  night  air.  It  may  be  doubted  if 
Moomtaz-i-Mahul,  or  "  the  Exalted  One  of  the  Palacq,"  would 
have  quite  approved  of  the  music.  However,  Mozart  was  better 
than  the  maestro  whose  compositions  next  challenged  the  ears  of 
the  company.  But  the  eye  mastered  every  sense,  and  the  loveli- 
ness of  the  Taj  stole  over  the  soul.  In  spite  of  blue  lights,  and 
lime  lights,  of  lively  dance  music,  of  clank  of  spurs  and  sabres 
on  the  complaining  marble,  there  was  not  a  point  which  the  peer- 
less mausoleum  could  make,  which  was  for  an  instant  marred  or 
lost.  Entering  the  tomb  itself — the  culminating  glory — the 
party  stood  and  gazed,  almost  trembling  with  admiration.  Pres- 
ently a  clear,  sustained  note  rose  up  into  the  vaulted  roof  of  the 
tomb,  and  there  found  its  counterpart,  and  the  two  commingled, 
swept  upwards,  and  soared  away,  "  till  naught  remained  'twixt 
them  and  silence."  Again  and  again  the  notes  soared,  and  the 
auditors  stood  breathless.  Then  came  a  few  chords  in  sweet 
unison  from  four  or  five  singers,  but  to  my  ear  the  effect  was  not 
so  impressive  as  that  of  an  old  Moulvie's  voice  reading  prayers 
when  last  I  was  there.  That  grand,  grumbling  chant  awoke 
echoes  which  sounded  like  the  responses  of  some  vast  congre- 


THE   TAJ.  395 

gation.  The  interior  has  been  swept,  garnished,  cleaned,  and, 
as  far  as  can  be,  restored.  If  Shah  Jehan  could  come  back  to 
earth,  it  is  not  too  much  to  suppose  that  he  would  thank  Sir 
John  Strachey  for  the  labor  of  love  which  has  stayed  the  hand 
of  the  spoiler. 

Moomtaz-i-Mahul  died  in  childbirth  of  her  eighth  child.  Peo- 
ple have  taken  lately  to  abusing  her  husband  and  his  times ;  but 
it  may  be  recollected  that  about  that  very  period  of  the  world's 
history  England  was  not  quite  a  paradise ;  that  we  had  a  Star 
Chamber  and  other  comforts  for  the  conscience  ;  were  busy  per- 
secuting people  we  did  not  like  ;  were  preparing  for  a  civil  war 
and  for  the  execution  of  our  King,  and  were  by  no  means  in  a 
condition  to  justify  us  in  throwing  stones  at  the  builder  of  the 
Taj.  We  have  done  better  since ;  and  if  there  be  no  Taj  or 
Sikundra  to  put  to  our  account,  we  hope  we  can  say  that  our  rule 
has,  in  the  words  of  De  Quincey,  conferred  on  India  "gifts 
higher  by  far  than  Mogul  gifts  of  palace  or  serai,  roads  or  tanks 
— the  gifts  of  security,  order,  law,  and  peace." 

After  such  a  sensation,  the  Holy  Jumna,  with  its  placid  bosom 
gemmed  with  star-like  lamps,  could  offer  little  attraction.  It  was 
nevertheless  pleasant  to  look  down  from  the  terrace  and  watch 
the  tiny  boats  of  earthenware,  large  as  a  coffee  cup,  bearing  their 
cargoes  of  oil  or  cotton-wick,  on  the  placid  stream  which  multi- 
plied their  fires  in  the  mirror  of  its  waters  ;  to  look  across  at  the 
wide  expanse  of  gardens  and  kiosks,  minarets,  cupolas,  and 
domes,  writing  their  occult  characters  on  the  blackness  of  the 
night,  and  then  to  let  the  eye  turn  slowly  on  the  Taj.  There  were, 
thank  goodness!  "for  this  occasion  only,"  no  fireworks.  It 
was  near  midnight  before  the  Prince  was  minded  to  quit  the 
place. 

January  28. — The  Prince  rose  early,  but  there  was  a  good 
deal  of  what  is  called  "  rousing  out "  before  the  sportsmen  were 
ready  to  start.  The  Maharaja  of  Bhurtpoor  keeps  a  "  sanctuary" 
of  jungle,  and  had  made  arrangements  to  give  his  Royal  High- 
ness good  sport.  He  met  the  Prince  near  a  beautifully-arranged 
hunting  camp.  The  "bag  '*'  consisted  of  eighty  head.  Anothei 


3Q6  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

party  went  out  pig-sticking.  There  were  plenty  of  bears  seen, 
but  the  country  was  bad,  and  there  were  no  "  spears." 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  grand  ball  in  the  Fort.  One  may 
question  the  fitness  of  the  Dewan  Khass  and  the  Dewan  I-Aum 
for  balls,  and  suppers,  but  the  scene  was  beautiful,  and,  though 
associations  are  rudely  dislocated,  these  balls  are  as  agreeable 
to  the  Prince,  who  is  able  to  gratify  so  many  Europeans,  as  it  is 
agreeable  to  them  to  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  Prince. 

January  29. — An  excursion  to  Futtehpoor  Sikri,  a  wilder- 
ness of  stone,  "  attesting  the  vigor  of  Imperial  selfishness  and 
the  futility  of  human  aspirations."  The  road  was  guarded  by 
escorts  of  i5th  Bengal  Lancers  and  the  loth  Hussars.  Fifty 
years  did  not  elapse  from  the  building  of  the  city  till  its  abandon- 
ment to  owls  and  jackals.  The  Prince  was  shown  round  the 
temples  by  the  eleventh  descendant  of  the  very  fakir  whose  tomb 
constitutes  the  principal  attraction  to  the  natives. 

January  30.  —  The  Prince  attended  Divine  service  at  n 
o'clock.  Sir  J.  and  Lady  Strachey,  and  the  ladies  and  members 
of  his  household,  and  the  various  officers  on  duty  and  visiting 
the  camp,  formed  a  sufficiently  numerous  congregation  under 
a  large  canopy  in  front  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  tents. 
Canon  Duckworth  officiated.  On  the  right  stood  a  squadron  of 
the  loth  Hussars,  mounted  ;  on  the  left  a  detachment  of  the 
Rifle  Brigade.  The  native  servants  gathered  in  the  rear,  attract- 
ed by  the  ceremony ;  but,  as  the  preacher  spoke  of  the  approach 
of  the  time  when  Christianity  shall  have  taught  all  men  to  love 
each  other,  the  business  of  the  camp  went  on  as  usual ;  sentries 
paced  up  and  down,  orderlies  galloped  to  and  fro.  Our  little 
ship  was  leaving  no  track  on  the  waters.  The  Prince,  after 
lunching  with  Lord  Mark  Kerr  and  officers  of  the  loth  Hussars, 
drove  to  a  convent  distinguished  for  good  works,  and  visited  the 
Christian  schools  and  various  other  educational  institutions. 
Sir  Dinkur  Rao  had  a  long  interview  with  the  Prince. 

The  afternoon  was  devoted  to  an  excursion  to  what  is  per- 
haps the  grandest,  as  the  Taj  is  certainly  the  most  beautiful  tomb 
in  the  world — Sikundra,  six  miles  from  camp,  where  lie  the  re- 


AN    EXCURSION   TO    S1KUNDRA.  397 

mains  of  Akber  (or  Akhbar,  or  however  else  his  name  may  be 
spelt)  to  whom  India — Hindoo  and  Mussulman — accords  the 
title  of  "  Great,"  apparently  with  every  reason.  The  road  still 
shows  the  coshminars  (round  stone  pillars),  every  two  miles, 
which  were  erected  along  the  Imperial  Mogul  routes,  extend- 
ing to  Lahore,  more  than  700  miles  from  Agra.  Near  each 
was  a  watch-tower,  and  there  were  halting-places,  and  serais, 
and  wells  for  travellers  along  the  road.  A  grand  gateway 
gives  access  to  a  garden,  in  which  is  the  Mausoleum  of  red  sand- 
stone, 300  feet  square,  built  in  five  stories,  each  diminishing  from 
the  base  to  the  marble  story  at  the  height  of  100  feet.  Every 
terrace  is  ornamented  with  an  arched  gallery  and  cupolas,  said 
to  bear  relation  to  the  division  of  the  Empire,  over  which  he  who 
rests  below  once  ruled  in  dignity  and  power.  Without  going  so 
far  as  Mr  Bayard  Taylor,  who  considers  Sikundra  nobler  in  con- 
ception and  more  successful  as  an  embodiment  of  Saracenic  art 
than  the  Alcazar  or  Alhambra,  it  may  be  admitted  that  it  stands 
among  the  grandest  monuments  of  any  kind  ever  reared  by 
man. 

Not  more  than  250  years  have  elapsed  since  it  was  finished. 
The  son  of  the  Queen  of  that  England  which  was  then  represented 
in  this  land  by  a  few  adventurous  merchants  and  mariners,  and  one 
or  two  wandering  travellers,  whose  greatest  wonder  was  that  they 
were  there  at  all,  now  stood  before  the  sarcophagus  within  which 
lie  the  bones  of  the  fourth  descendant  of  Tamerlane,  grandson 
of  Baber,  grandfather  of  Shah  Jehan — stood  there  acknowledged 
heir  to  the  sceptre,  which  had  been  wielded  with  such  grandeur 
and  might — future  successor,  if  God  wills  it,  to  Akhbar  the  Great, 
whose  titles  one  might  read  in  the  exquisitely  carved  inscriptions, 
ascribing  to  him  "  majesty  and  glory  forever."  It  was  a  fitting 
scene  for  a  sermon  on  the  rise  and  fall  of  Empires  and  on  the 
vanity  of  human  wishes. 

January  31. — The  visit  to  the  Maharaja  of  Gwalior  was 
fixed  for  to-day,  and  as  there  is  no  railway  it  was  necessary  to  pre- 
pare for  a  long  journey  by  road,  but  the  arrangements  for  posting 
the  Royal  party  are,  if  possible,  better  than  those  for  special 


398  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

train.  The  carriages  were  ready  in  the  main  street  at  9  A.  M. 
There  were  relays  and  change  of  escort  every  six  miles.  At 
Dholepoor,  the  capital  of  the  native  State,  some  thirty-five  miles 
from  Agra,  the  Prince  was  received  by  the  youthful  Maharaja  in 
a  palace  not  yet  completed,  built  expressly  for  the  occasion.  All 
the  resources  of  the  host  were  displayed.  Music  and  dancers, 
elephants,  armed  retainers,  chiefs  and  horses.  The  Maharaja,  a 
charming  boy  who  speaks  English  well  and  delights  in  manly 
sports,  became  at  once  the  friend  of  the  Prince,  who  took  to  him 
greatly.  There  was  a  grand  sowaree,  and  a  dejeuner  for  the 
Europeans,  &c.  The  Royal  party  at  the  border  of  the  State 
crossed  the  Chumbul  into  Scindia's  dominions  by  a  bridge  of 
boats. 

A  cavalry  escort  was  drawn  up  seven  miles  from  Gwalior, 
the  fortress  of  which  had  been  in  sight  for  a  long  time.  Here 
Scindia  received  the  Prince.  Thence  the  cortege  passed  between 
lines  of  Mahratta  cavalry  to  the  entrance  to  the  Lushkar  (or 
"  camp  "),  where  infantry  regiments  were  in  line.  The  streets 
were  thronged  all  the  way  through  the  city  to  the  new  Palace, 
where  Scindia  installed  his  Royal  visitor  in  much  state. 

The  Palace  covers  an  area  of  124,771  square  feet,  exclusive 
of  the  inner  square,  which  is  321  by  321^  feet.  The  build- 
ing is  double-storied,  and  the  wings  and  turrets  are  three  and 
five  storied.  Its  total  length  is  106  feet.  The  first  story  is 
Tuscan,  second  Italian  Doric,  and  the  the  third  Corinthian 
order  of  architecture.  The  interior  of  the  Reception-room  is 
97  feet  8  inches  long  by  50  feet  broad,  and  it  is  41  feet  in  height. 
The  roof  is  arched  with  stone  slabs  21  feet  long,  which  enabled 
the  architect  to  make  the  ribs  prominent.  They  rest  at  each 
end  on  double  Corinthian  columns,  which  form  a  colonnade  round 
the  interior.  The  interior  and  exterior  of  the  Palace  form  a 
combination  of  arcades  and  colonnades.  Upwards  of  300,000 
leaves  of  gold  were  used  to  decorate  the  Reception-hall.  The 
Grand  Staircase-room  is  roofed  with  stone  slabs  30  feet  long; 
the  room  opposite  to  it  is  roofed  in  the  same  way.  This  room 
was  used  for  dancing.  The  length  of  each  of  these  rooms  is  50 


SCINDIA  S    REVIEW.  399 

feet.  The  Grand  Drawing-room,  one  of  the  finest  saloons  in  the 
world,  is  hung  with  wonderful  chandeliers,  and  decorated  with 
enormous  mirrors.  The  Prince's  bedstead,  washing  service,  and 
bath  were  of  solid  silver.  The  cost  of  the  Palace  was  a  little 
above  1,100,000  rupees.  But  the  garden-wall,  iron  railings,  gar- 
dens, furniture,  glass,  grand  staircase,  chandeliers,  &c.,  cost 
about  500,000  rupees  more.  The  area  of  the  Garden  is  about 
one  square  mile  ;  there  are  several  waterfalls  and  a  number  of 
fountains  in  it.  In  the  Palace  and  inner  square  there  are  106 
fountains  and  a  waterfall. 

There  was  a  British  dinner  at  the  Palace,  followed  by  a  grand 
ball.  The  appearance  of  the  saloons  was  very  bright  and  gay, 
and  the  representative  of  the  Governor-General  for  Central  India, 
Sir  H.  Daly,  did  the  honors  with  great  kindness  and  success. 

February  i. — There  was  a  review  of  "the  army  of  Gwalior." 
At  7  A.  M.  a  salute  announced  the  arrival  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
The  Prince  and  Scindia  then  rode  down  the  line  side  by  side, 
bands  playing  and  colors  lowered.  Scindia  rode  at  the  head  of 
a  truly  "brilliant  staff."  He  wore  a  scarlet  tunic,  with  gold 
facings,  diamonds,  and  gems,  and  the  riband  of  the  Star  of  India, 
his  cap  blazing  with  jewels,  and  ornamented  with  an  egret  plume 
rising  from  a  diamond  socket.  On  the  Prince's  return  to  the 
saluting  post,  the  march-past  commenced.  The  band  played  up 
the  Gwalior  version  of  "  Garryowen."  First  came  the  general 
staff  of  the  Gwalior  army ;  sext  Scindia,  alone.  As  he  passed  the 
Prince  he  saluted  with  his  sword.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
time  he  has  ever  made  such  an  acknowledgment.  He  was  fol- 
lowed by  ten  Staff  Officers  riding  abreast.  Next  a  troop  of  horse 
artillery,  six-pounder  smooth-bores,  went  by  admirably  in  line. 
Another  horse  artillery  battery  followed  almost  equally  well. 
Then  came  two  nine-pounder  field  batteries,  each  gun  drawn 
by  six  bullocks  drilled  to  perfection,  "with  their  humps  dresse  1 
to  a  nicety,"  as  some  one  said.  Appia  Sahib,  Brigadier  of 
Cavalry,  and  his  staff  followed.  The  first  Regiment  in  the  uniform 
of  Close's  old  corps  of  the  Gwalior  Contingent,  red  tunics,  buck- 
skin breeches,  long  boots,  and  Afghan  turbans.  The  second 


4OO  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

Regiment  (regulars)  blue  tunics  and  red  turbans;  then  a 
squadron  of  the  3d  Regiment  of  Hussars ;  the  4th  Regiment  of 
Lancers,  in  ultramarine  blue  uniforms,  lance-pennons  black  and 
red,  completed  the  cavalry.  Each  regiment  was  400  strong.  The 
five  battalions  of  infantry  which  followed  were  armed  with  old 
smooth-bore  percussion  muskets.  The  men  were  well  set-up 
and  steady.  Scindia  took  three  regiments  of  infantry  and  two 
of  calvalry  to  the  right,  to  entertain  the  company  with  a  display 
of  tactics. 

When  Scindia  galloped  off  to  his  sham  fight,  the  Chiefs  who 
were  not  attached  to  the  corps  rode  up  to  the  ground,  and  formed  a 
very  brilliant  and  interesting  group  close  to  the  Prince.  Their 
dresses  were  exceedingly  beautiful ;  and  wonderful  as  they  were 
in  color  —  yellow,  sky-blue,  mauve,  scarlet  and  pink  —  were 
matched  with  excellent  taste.  Some  wore  Damascened  chain- 
armor  armlets  and  thigh-pieces  inlaid  with  gold.  One  Chief 
was  in  black  satin  surcoat,  with  bright  red  petticoat,  chain-armor 
covered  with  gold  plaques  inlaid  with  pearls  ;  another  wore  neck- 
laces of  pearls  and  emeralds  over  an  enamelled  breast-plate  of 
fine  steel,  his  satin  cloak  and  coat  trimmed  with  diamonds,  ear- 
rings of  emeralds  and  diamonds,  and  a  waist-belt  of  precious 
stones  gathering  in  his  mauve  pantaloons,  and  he  sat  in  a  saddle 
which  appeared  to  be  altogether  of  gold,  with  a  cloth  and  hous- 
ing set  with  pearls,  emeralds,  and  diamonds.  Several  of  the 
horses  had  anklets  of  precious  stones  set  in  silver  on  the  fore- 
legs— in  fact  as  a  predatory  young  gentlemen  observed,  "  the 
plundering  of  any  one  of  these  Sirdars  would  set  up  a  "man  for 
life." 

Meanwhile  Appia,  with  the  remaining  infantry  and  cavalry, 
marched  to  the  left,  and  took  up  a  position,  sending  out  a  de- 
tachment of  cavalry  and  guns  to  watch  Scindia.  Appia's  guns 
were  attacked  by  Scindia's  cavalry  ;  whose  infantry  moved  up 
to  sustain  the  attack.  Aided  by  the  fire  of  the  artillery,  they 
checked  Appia's  horse  which  engaged  Scindia's  right  and  threat- 
ened to  outflank  him.  After  several  pretty  movements,  Scindia 
was  declared  to  have  won  the  day.  The  Prince  expressed  his 


THE    ROCK    OF    GWALIOR.  4OI 

satisfaction,  and  Scindia,  overjoyed,  declared  that  he  would  pub- 
lish the  Prince's  eulogium  in  general  orders  to  his  army.  It 
was,  in  truth,  a  very  creditable  display — mats  a  quoi  bon  ? 

In  the  afternoon  the  Prince  visited  the  famous  Fortress,  and 
looked  down  on  the  city  and  the  plain  where  Sir  Hugh  Rose 
defeated  Tantia  Topee,  and  where  the  heroic,  if  cruel,  Ranee 
of  Jhansee  met  her  fate — a  soldier's  death.  The  fortress,  which 
contains  some  much  venerated  and  dilapidated  temples  and 
shrines,  some  used  as  places  of  confinement  for  political  prison- 
ers, overhangs  Scindia's  Palace  and  city  very  much  as  Edinburgh 
Castle  imposes  the  town  below  ;  but  as  long  as  the  British  hold 
the  great  military  Station  less  than  three  miles  away  and  the 
open  country,  the  Rock  of  Gwalior  possesses  no  military  import- 
ance ;  indeed,  it  is  quite  commanded  by  a  ridge  of  similar  forma- 
tion at  the  other  side  of  the  road  to  Agra.  However,  Sir  H. 
Daly  and  others  maintain  that  it  is  very  useful  to  Scindia  to  have 
a  British  garrison  there,  as  he  is  thus  protected  against  his  own 
army  and  his  subjects.  Then  there  was  a  state  visit  to  Scindia. 
who  held  a  Durbar  in  the  old  Palace.  The  most  notable  feature 
in  the  reception  was  the  great  number  of  Mahratta  Chiefs  and 
Sirdars  of  importance  who  were  present,  and  curious  observances, 
such  as  the  utterance  in  unison  of  a  loud  cry  by  the  courtiers 
and  the  attendants  (equivalent,  on  dit,  to  "God  save  the  Queen  ") 
when  Scindia  rose  or  sat  down.  Towards  the  close  of  the  inter- 
view, Scindia,  addressing  the  Prince,  said  : — 

"I  can  command  no  language  to  express  my  gratitude  for  the 
honor  the  Prince  of  Wales  has  conferred  upon  me  in  thus  visiting 
Gwalior — What  can  I  say?  On  the  Scindias  who  have  preceded 
me  many  honors  have  fallen — but  on  none  has  there  been  honor 
like  this.  This  day  will  never  be  forgotten  in  Gwalior.  I  have 
nothing  to  show  worthy  of  his  Royal  Highness.  My  palace,  my 
troops,  what  are  they  to  him  ?  His  attendance  at  my  parade  this 
morning  in  the  heat  and  dust,  the  interest  the  Prince  took  in  it, 
were  out  of  his  consideration  for  me.  I  am  an  ignorant  man, 
almost  without  education.  I  know  nothing  of  the  English  lan- 
guage. What  I  did  this  morning  with  the  troops  is  an  instance 

26 


4O2  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

of  what  can  be  done  by  observation  and  labor — nothing  more. 
Again  and  again  I  desire  to  express  gratefully  my  appreciation 
of  the  favor  the  Prince  has  shown  me ;  and  when  he  sees  the 
Queen,  let  him  tell  her  from  me,  that  I  am,  with  hands  clasped, 
her  faithful  servant  forever. 

Scindia  spoke  these  words  with  strong  emotion  and  glistening 
eyes.  After  a  moment's  pause,  turning  to  Sir  H.  Daly,  he  said : 
"  One  thing  I  would  add.  When  the  time  comes  for  the  Prince 
to  ascend  the  throne,  I  hope  he  will  remember  Scindia." 

There  was  a  grand  banquet  in  the  evening  at  the  new  Palace. 
At  the  commencement  of  dessert,  Scindia,  with  ten  of  his  nobles, 
entered,  and  was  handed  by  Sir  H.  Daly  to  a*seat  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  Prince.  Shortly  afterwards  the  Maharaja  proposed 
the  health  of  the  Queen,  and  then  the  health  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales.  His  own  silver  cup  was  brought  to  him,  and  he  drank 
the  toasts  in  champagne.  The  Prince's  replies,  translated  by 
Sir  H.  Daly,  appeared  to  give  Scindi-a  very  great  pleasure. 

February  2. — Scindia  came  to  the  Palace  at  9  A.  M.  to  sit 
for  his  portrait  to  Mr.  S.  Hall,  by  desire  of  the  Prince.  At  10.30 
A.  M.  all  was  ready  for  the  return  to  Agra,  and  the  Maharaja  tak- 
ing his  Royal  Highness  by  the  hand,  conducted  him  to  the  door 
of  the  carriage.  On  taking  leave  Scindia  said  :  "  It  has  been 
much  to  see  your  face,  it  is  a  grief  to  me  that  your  visit  is  so 
short,  and  that  you  go  away.  I  can  hardly  hope  to  see  you  again  ; 
but  be  this  as  it  may,  sometimes  in  England  turn  a  kind  thought 
to  me.  My  state  and  everything  I  have  is  yours."  The  Prince 
replied,  "  that  he  should  never  forget  Gwalior  and  the  magnifi- 
cence of  his  reception,  and  that  he  knew  he  had  a  friend  in 
Scindia." 

If  Scindia  could  have  uttered  his  heart's  desire  he  would  have 
probably  said  to  the  Prince  :  "  Tell  them  to  give  me  back  my 
fortress."  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Lord  Canning  promised, 
in  1859,  to  restore  it  to  him,  but  the  plea  of  to-day  for  the  non- 
fulfilment  of  the  pledge  is  that  Lord  Canning  did  not  promise  to 
restore  it  at  once,  but  made  a  proviso  that  the  act  should  be  per- 
formed at  some  convenient  season.  This  is  dangerous  ground  to 


BHURTPOOR   TO  JEYPOOR.  403 

take,  especially  if  there  is  to  be  but  one  judge  of  the  conveniency. 
The  Prince,  halting  at  Dholepoor  to  lunch  on  his  way  back 
to  Agra,  made  an  announcement,  which  was  as  agreeable  to 
those  who  rejoiced  in  the  good  fortune  of  their  companions  as  it 
was  to  the  recipients,  that  the  Queen  would  bestow  G.C.S.I. 
on  Major-General  Probyn,  Major-General  Browne  and  Dr.  Fay- 
rer,  and  the  S. C.M.I,  on  Colonel  Ellis,  Captain  Glynn  and  others. 
The  party  arrived  at  Sir  John  Strachey's  camp  as  it  was  be- 
coming dark.  There  were  charming  evening  amateur  perform- 
ances in  the  Lieut.-Governor's  tent  after  dinner  on  several  occa- 
sions during  the  Prince's  stay  at  Agra. 

February  3. — A  day  of  repose  for  all  but  a  small  party  of 
sportsmen  who  went  twenty-five  miles  from  Agra  to  ground  where 
wild  boar  were  numerous.  In  the  evening  news  was  brought  to 
the  Prince,  who  was  dining  with  the  officers  of  the  loth  Hussars, 
that  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg  had  been  thrown  while  in  full 
career  after  a  pig,  and  had  been  found  senseless  and  with  a 
collar-bone  broken.  Every  one  regretted  this,  for  Prince  Louis 
is  a  great  favorite.  Dr.  Fayrer  set  off  at  once,  and  after  a  long 
and  cold  drive  in  an  open  carriage,  found  the  patient,  who  was 
tended  carefully  by  Lord  Charles  Beresford.  Pig-sticking  assumes 
a  high  position  on  the  roll  of  casualty-causing  sports.  Lord  Car- 
ington,  a  broken  collar-bone ;  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  teeth 
broken  ;  Lord  Suffield  injured  by  his  own  spear  ;  not  to  speak  of 
falls,  &c. ;  but  the  pig-stickers  are  veritable  Gallios,  and  pursue 
the  sport  whenever  they  can.  Colonel  Owen  Williams  has  got 
his  hand  in,  so  have  Colonel  Ellis  and  Mr.  FitzGeorge,  and  Lord 
Aylesford  is  intact.  There  are  some  who  do  not  tempt  the  for- 
tunes of  the  field  at  all.  On  the  whole,  there  are  not  so  many 
people  killed  in  the  pursuit  of  pigs  as  in  hunting  the  fox. 

February  4. — A  special^  train  of  the  Rajpootana  State  Rail- 
way was  ordered  for  8.4  A.  M.  for  Jeypoor.  At  Bhurtpoor,  where 
the  Maharaja  and  his  Court  had  been  waiting  for  an  hour,  there 
was  much  to  see  and  but  little  time  to  see  it.  The  guns  of  the 
famous  old  fortress  thundered  out  salutes.  The  road  to  the  moat, 
above  which  tower  the  crumbling  walls  that  saw  our  troops  twice 


404  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

fail  to  reach  the  summit,  was  lined  with  troops,  clad  in  Sepoy 
uniforms,  some  with  the  old  light  infantry  "  wing  "  on  the  shoul- 
ders. The  repulses  of  the  British  are  celebrated  in  many  paint- 
ings in  the  town.  Crossing  the  broad  ditch  and  passing  the 
outer  wall  we  came  on  a  very  thick  brick  gateway  and  wall,  inside 
which  lies  the  city.  The  streets  are  broad,  and  were  well  swept 
and  clean.  There  were  many  triumphal  arches,  and  nearly 
every  inch  of  foot-path,  window,  and  roof,  was  filled.  The  shops 
were  shut.  There  was  perfect  silence  till  the  carriage  passed  ; 
then  came  a  buzz  of  conversation  and  commentary.  The  route 
to  the  Palace  was  lined  with  a  framework  of  bamboos,  seven  feet 
high,  covered  with  pink  calico.  The  staircase,  corridors  and 
floors  of  the  Palace  were  covered  with  the  finest  kinkob  and  gold 
brocades,  the  walls  being  hung  with  the  same.  Pictures  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  Napoleon,  the  Prince  Consort,  and  Queen 
Victoria  were  hung  in  the  room  where  the  Prince  and  party  were 
entertained  at  lunch.  The  Maharaja  conducted  the  Prince  to 
the  Station,  and  returned  thanks  for  the  high  honor  done  to 
Bhurtpoor  by  the  visit,  which  was  very  interesting  to  the  stran- 
gers. 

From  Bhurtpoor  the  railroad  traverses  a  plain,  apparently 
level  as  a  bowling-green,  but  in  the  vicinity  of  rivers  the  rains 
have  cut  deep  and  numerous  ravines.  At  each  half-mile  of  road 
there  were  pickets  of  armed  horsemen.  At  every  village  were 
gathered  Rajpoots,  armed  with  sword  and  shield.  Close  to  the 
city  of  Jeypoor,  conical  hills  form  continuous  chains,  on  which 
are  battlemented  walls,  fortresses  of  feudal  Chiefs.  From  unex- 
pected places  came  puffs  of  smoke  and  reports  of  cannon.  The 
sun  was  getting  low  when  the  train  stopped  at  the  Station.  As 
the  Prince  stepped  out  of  the  carriage,  the  Maharaja  of  Jeypoor 
advanced  to  welcome  him  at  the  head  of  his  Court,  and  there 
was  also  the  usual  attendance  of  the  official  and  unofficial  Euro- 
peans on  the  platform.  A  procession  was  formed  from  the  sta- 
tion through  a  great  multitude — a  double  line;  natives  and  Euro- 
peans, two  elephants  abreast.  We  passed  through  a  gateway, 
and  Jeypoor  lay  before  us,  a  surprise  and  wonder  for  ever. 


"THE    CITY    OF    VICTORY.  405 

The  world  knows  very  little  of  its  great  men ;  and  the 
number  of  people  who  are  acquainted  with  the  deeds  of  the 
Maharaja  Jey  Sing,  who  founded  "the  City  of  Victory"  in  1728, 
is  probably  very  small  indeed,  although  astronomers  must  be 
acquainted  with  the  name,  at  least,  of  the  man  who  reformed  the 
Calendar,  and  constructed,  the  remarkable  observatories  at 
Benares,  Jeypoor,  and  elsewhere.  He  laid  down  his  capital,  we 
are  told,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  "  Silpi  Shastras,"  and  if  so, 
it  is  to  be  regretted  that  these  Shastras  were  not  followed  more 
generally,  not  only  in  India,  but  in  England.  In  fact,  Baron 
Haussmann  might  have  been  inspired  by  the  genius  which  order- 
ed this  city  : — "  Between  the  gates  of  the  Sun  and  Moon  "  (east 
and  west)  runs  the  main  street,  2  miles  long  and  1 1 1  feet  wide  ; 
between  the  north  and  south  gates  is  another  street  ij^  mile  long, 
and  of  the  same  breadth  as  the  other.  These  streets  are  cut  at 
right  angles  by  others,  55  feet  broad,  and  the  rectangular  blocks 
so  formed  are  divided  by  streets  27}^  feet  broad  !  The  town  is 
surrounded  by  a  crenellated  wall  of  masonry,  20  feet  high  and 
9  feet  thick,  covered  with  rose-colored  plaster,  pierced  by 
seven  gateways,  each  with  two  kiosks,  and  machicolations  and 
screen  walls  ;  and  there  are  bastions  and  towers  with  embrasures 
for  guns  at  intervals.  The  streets  have  clean,  broad  pavements, 
and  stone  causeways  for  carriages.  The  shop-fronts,  shaded 
by  a  sloping  calico  or  cloth  pent  of  white,  with  broad  red 
stripes,  giving  a  light  and  agreeeble  effect  to  the  thorough- 
fares, open  on  the  street.  Projecting  over  the  shops  there  is  a 
broad  ledge  or  terrace,  putting  one  in  mind  of  the  old  streets  of 
Chester. 

If  I  were  to  say  that  the  houses  look  as  if  they  were  built  of 
solid  strawberry  cream  streaked  in  white  arabesque,  no  adequate 
impression  would  be  produced,  simply  because  one  cannot  imagine 
houses  of  such  material.  And  yet,  out  of  confectionery,  I  have 
never  beheld  any  street  architecture  of  this  kind.  The  houses  vary 
from  three  to  five  or  six  stories  in  height,  and  are  painted  rose- 
color  picked  out  with  white,  with  narrow  windows  and  perforated 
stucco  screens.  The  walls  sometimes  are  mere  pretences,  blind 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

frontages  raised  above  the  flat  roofs.  Nothing  more  light  and 
pretty  can  be  imagined  than  these  streets  with  Venetian  masts 
and  flags,  garlands,  streamers,  illuminated  by  an  army  of  torch- 
bearers.  There  were  some  who  tried  to  find  out  that  it  was 
a  painted  sepulchre,  and  dived  into  back  streets,  but  it  was  only 
to  discover  that  Brahminee  bulls  had  an  easy  time  of  it,  that 
fakirs  were  in  much  esteem,  and  that  the  shopkeepers  were 
quite  well  aware  of  the  value  of  the  exquisite  work  in  enamel, 
&c.,  for  which  Jeypoor  is  famous.  The  Prince  was  lodged  in 
the  Residency,  where  there  were  the  usual  fesitivities  and  cere- 
monies. 

February  5.  —  The  environs  are  by  no  means  destitute  of 
tigers,  and  it  is  said  that  some  of  the  Rajpoot  Chiefs  have  a 
tenderness  for  the  creatures — perhaps  founded  on  a  superstitious 
fear — and  keep  tiger  reserves.  Naturally  enough,  the  animal 
which  may  at  any  moment  eat  the  father  or  mother  of  a  family 
or  the  spem  gregis,  exercises  a  great  influence  over  the  popular 
imagination,  and  tigers  rampant,  couchant  and  passant,  figure 
largely  on  the  walls  of  the  houses  and  temples.  There  is  a  short 
and  safe  method  with  the  beasts  when  the  Chiefs  desire  to  kill 
them.  Certain  houses  are  erected  in  the  valleys  which  the  ani- 
mals affect,  and  when  one  of  them  has  been  marked  down  by  a 
"  kill," — that  is,  the  slaughter  of  a  calf  or  some  edible  of  that 
kind — the  sportsman  takes  up  his  post  in  one  of  the  shooting- 
boxes,  and  beaters  are  sent  to  drive  the  valley  ;  the  tiger,  who  is 
of  retiring  habits  when  he  has  his  own  way,  generally  breaks 
away  and  gives  a  chance  to  the  rifle  as  he  passes.  There  was 
news  of  a  "kill  "  this  morning  not  far  from  the  Residency,  and 
the  Prince  set  out  to  try  his  fortune,  the  Maharaja  having  made 
all  the  needful  arrangements.  The  Royal  party  started  in  high 
spirits,  some  to  hunt  pig,  others  to  shoot  deer ;  the  Prince  to  the 
rocky  ravine  in  which  the  tiger  was  lurking.  It  had  been  the 
Maharaja's  intention  to  station  the  Prince  in  the  ravine  ;  but  the 
tiger  having  moved,  he  was  placed  in  the  upper  story  of  a  shoot- 
ing-box, from  which  there  was  a  clear  view  all-  round.  Nearly 
two  hours  passed  before  the  beaters  came  on  the  lair.  Then 


THE    FIRST    TIGER.  4O/ 

the  tiger  was  seen  creeping,  cat-like,  towards  the  house.  It 
came  within  thirty  yards.  The  Prince  fired.  The  tiger  started 
off  down  the  ravine  at  a  trot  Again  the  Prince  fired  ;  the  tiger 
rolled  over  but  recovered,  and  staggered  into  a  hollow,  amid 
thick  brush.  The  Prince,  who  wished  to  follow  the  trail  on 
foot,  was  dissuaded.  He  mounted  Dr.  Fayrer's  elephant,  and 
descended.  The  beaters  threw  stones  into  the  ravine  ;  the  tiger 
emerged  and  walked  slowly  up  the  bank.  The  Prince  fired 
twice  ;  still  the  beast  went  on  badly,  hit  though  it  was,  and 
stumbling,  rolled  out  of  sight  over  a  boulder.  A  beater,  stand- 
ing above,  said,  "  It  lies  there."  The  party  closed  around,  and 
there  lay — tremendous  still  in  death  —  a  full  grown  female,  8)4 
feet  long.  When  it  was  laid  out  in  the  garden  of  the  Residency, 
it  was  an  object  of  much  attention  ;  the  photographer  was  set  to 
work,  then  came  the  naturalist  to  skin  the  carcass.  The  smell 
was  abominable — a  fetid  odor,  as  though  it  was  in  a  state  of  de- 
composition —  but  the  tigress  was  very  fat,  and  had  she  been 
allowed  to  live  a  few  weeks  longer  there  would  have  been  three 
little  items  added  to  the  population  of  Tigerdom.  The  carcass 
was  placed  on  an  elephant  and  borne  in  triumph  to  a  little  kiosk 
in  the  valley.  There  lunch  was  spread.  The  Maharaja,  who 
lunched  in  the  same  room,  but  apart,  congratulated  the  Prince 
on  his  success  in  a  bumper,  and  requested  his  acceptance  of  a 
very  large-bored  tiger-rifle.  There  were  grand  illuminations  all 
over  the  city,  not  because  of  the  killing  of  the  tiger,  but  on  ac- 
count of  the  Prince's  visit.  The  Palace,  which  constitutes  one- 
sixth  of  the  metropolis,  shone  with  myriads  of  lights  ;  the  gar- 
dens and  the  tanks  were  lighted,  the  trees  bore  fiery  fruit, 
fire  rained  from  the  citadel  and  the  great  range  of  fort-crowned 
precipices  overhanging  the  city,  and  all  devices  known  to  Indian 
illuminators  were  lavished  to  the  great  delight  of  the  people, 
who  had  come  from  every  part  of  the  State  to  witness  the 
sight. 

February  6. — Divine  service  in  the  Residency  at  10.30  A.  M. 
There  was  afterwards  an  excursion  to  Amber,  of  which  Mr.  Julian 
Robinson  wrote,  "  Compared  to  Jeypoor,  it  is  Westminster  Ab- 


408  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

bey  to  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  or  a  mild,  grave  socur  de  charite 
to  Vipimpante,  frisky  grisette."  This  is  as  true  as  another  remark 
by  the  same  writer,  that  Jeypoor  "  is  the  very  millinery  of  masonry ; 
the  streets,  compared  to  those  of  Agra  or  Calcutta,  are  a  series 
of  laces,  ribands,  frills  and  flounces."  Amber  is  a  fine  solid 
sacque  of  brocade  laid  by  for  future  generations  to  wonder  at. 
The  approach,  by  a  road  winding  below  a  grand  range  of  cliffs, 
and  skirting  a  lake  bordered  with  ruined  castles,  is  a  fit  preparation 
for  the  sight  of  the  great  gorge,  on  one  side  of  which  tower  the 
battlements  of  the  series  of  temples  which  begin  in  the  waters  at 
their  base,  where  sacred  crocodiles  swim  in  and  out  among  the 
ruins  of  half-submerged  colonnades  and  porticos.  Amber  is  a 
city  of  the  dead.  There  are  more  monke'ys  than  men  about 
Amber,  and  they  are  much  respected  by  their  relatives  in  the 
more  developed  stages  who  walk  on  two  legs.  The  Dewan 
Khass,  the  Jess-mundur,  the  Sowaree  Gate,  in  fact,  all  the  mag- 
nificent buildings  in  the  vast  enclosure  of  battlemented  walls, 
which  climb  up  to  the  summits  of  the  peaks  dominated  by  forts, 
are  of  extraordinary  beauty  of  design  and  elaborateness  of  exe- 
cution ;  the  walls  of  some  of  the  Palace  rooms  are  inlaid  as  if 
they  were  pieces  of  jewelry.  No  one  should  set  foot  on  Indian 
soil  without  visiting  Amber  if  he  can.  Lunch  was  spread  on  one 
of  the  terraces  of  the  palace,  and  the  cortege  attracted  a  very 
great  multitude  of  people  as  picturesque  as  the  country  they  live  in. 
February  7. — Early  this  morning  the  Maharaja  appeared  in 
the  inner  court  of  the  Residency,  walking  up  and  down  in  front 
of  the  veranda,  waiting  till  he  could  pay  his  respects  to  the 
Prince.  He  was  followed  by  a  train  of  courtiers,  who  moved 
just  as  he  did,  following  him  very  much  as  though  they  had  been 
so  many  joints  in  the  tail  of  an  animal.  The  little  camp  was 
astir.  Servants  busy  packing  up ;  crowds  of  box-wallahs  hov- 
ering around  with  articles  for  sale.  The  Prince  accepted  a  sword 
in  an  enamelled  sheath  gloriously  jewelled  ;  a  bag  of  gold  ino- 
hurs  struck  at  Jeypoor,  and  some  photographs  on  a  large  scale. 
Many  of  the  Princes  of  India  take  to  photography,  but  the  Ma- 
haraja is  a  master  in  the  art.  Almost  every  State  in  India, 


DEPARTURE  FROM  JEYPOOR.  409 

which  aspires  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  "  Paramount  Power,"  has 
set  itself  to  copy  British  institutions.  The  Education  Report  of 
the  Maharaja's  College,  the  Rajpoot  School,  the.  Sanscrit  College, 
and  different  branch  schools  in  the  city  and  in  the  State  of  Jey- 
poor. written  in  English,  is  now  before  me  ;  and  the  great  pro- 
gress which  has  been  made  in  ten.  years  does  honor  to  Mr.  Kan- 
tee  Chunder  Mookerjee,  the  Principal  of  the  College.  There  is 
also  in  my  hands  a  report  of  the  Jeypoor  School  of  Arts,  which 
was  opened  by  the  Maharaja  in  1866,  with  a  staff  of  teachers 
from  the  Madras  School  of  Arts.  Since  1869  it  has  been  under 
the  charge  of  Dr.  De  Fabeck,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  James 
Scorgee.  The  pupils  are  instructed  in  drawing,  carpentering, 
modelling,  bookbinding,  electro-plating,  watch-making,  wood- 
carving,  sculpture,  embroidery,  blacksmith's  work,  &c. ;  but,  ah 
me  !  those  "  poor  ignorant  natives,"  who  lived  before  us,  and 
knew  nothing  of  "principles  of  art,"  and  had  no  art-instruction, 
conceived  and  executed  works  their  more  fortunate  or  better- 
taught  descendants  and  their  teachers  can  only  faintly  imitate. 
Take,  for  example,  Jeypoor  "  enamel."  Why,  all  the  best  work- 
men in  London,  Paris,  Vienna,  Rome,  admit  they  cannot  match 
this  wonderful  work !  Our  teaching  will  no  doubt  turn  out  a 
great  mass  of  Brummagem  craftsmen,  but  it  is  to  be  feared  that 
with  greater  mechanical  excellence  it  will  "  spoil  the  work." 
The  articles  made  in  the  school  meet  with  a  ready  sale,  and  the 
workshops  are  liberally  patronized  by  Europeans  and  natives. 
The  Principal  has  received  high  commendation  from  all  the  visi- 
tors, including  Lord  Mayo  and  Lord  Northbrook,  the  latter  of 
whom  took  the  trouble  of  correcting  an  essay  on  art  by  a  pupil 
of  the  College,  which  is  printed  for  the  "  use  of  schools." 

When  the  train  was  ready,  the  Prince  walked  with  the  Ma- 
haraja to  the  Station,  which  was  a  few  hundred  yards  distant. 
One  thing  much  affected  the  Maharaja — Would  he  ever  see  the 
Prince  again  ?  If  not,  might  he  venture  to  write  to  him — directly 
— now  and  then — to  make  inquiries  after  his  health  ?  The  run 
to  Agra  was  rapid  and  smooth.  At  six  o'clock  the  party  arrived 
in  camp. 

18 


410  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

Here  the  ever-varying  panorama  of  strange  sights  and  scenes, 
processions,  receptions,  banquets,  journeys,  and  hurrying  to  and 
fro  day  after  day,  cease  for  a  while.  Still  the  recollection  of 
these,  recent  as  they  are,  is  not  very  distinct.  There  is  scarcely 
any  one  among  us — except,  perhaps,  the  Prince  himself,  whose 
memory  holds  every  fact  in  a  vice — who  can  distinguish  between 
one  set  of  fireworks  and  another  ;  remember  what  occurred  at 
any  one  banquet  which  distinguished  it  from  its  fellows  ;  identify 
a  particular  camp  or  quarter ;  or  pretend  to  give  a  narrative  of 
what  he  saw  at  anyone  place  especially,  without  running  the  risk 
of  confounding  dates  and  events.  When  the  Prince  turned  his 
face  towards  the  Himalayas,  there  was  a  sensation  of  relief,  a 
longing  anticipation  of  such  repose  as  the  hunter's  life  would 
afford,  and  the  taste  of  blood  of  tiger  slain  at  Jeypoor  had  whet- 
ted the  appetite  for  more.  tVith  what  delight  were  uniforms, 
cocked  hats,  and  laced  coats  carefully  stowed  away,  and  sent 
down  country  to  be  ready  when  the  party  emerged  from  the 
Terai ! 

The  Duke  of  Sutherland  and  Mr.  Grey  are  homeward  bound, 
and  Sir  B.  Frere  and  Canon  Duckworth  are  going  on  a  tour  in 
the  far  North-West,  whilst  the  Prince  is  away  on  his  sporting  ex- 
cursion. Captain  Glyn  and  Commander  Durrant  proceeded  to 
Calcutta  to  take  the  Serapis  and  Osborne  round  to  Bombay  for 
the  Prince's  homeward  journey.  Before  his  Royal  Highness  left 
he  paid  one  more  visit  to  the  Taj,  which  was  favored  by  a  lovely 
moonlight — not  too  direct  and  strong,  but  glinting  at  an  angle 
which  gave  effect  to  the  contour,  and  obviated  the  "  blankness  " 
of  effect  produced  by  its  full  glare.  The  Prince  bade  his  kind 
hosts  farewell,  and  at  midnight  the  special  train  started  for  Mor- 
adabad,  the  farthest  point  towards  the  Terai  to  which  the  rail 
extends. 


IN    THE   TERM — BEATING    FOR   TIGER. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  KUMAOUN— TERAI— NEPAL. 

The  Royal  shooting  Camp — Sir  H.  Ramsay — Nynee  Tal — An  unlucky  Dose 
— Pleasing  Incongruities — Terai  Scenery — Camp  Personnel — A  Day  of 
Rest — The  King  of  Beasts" — Tigers  and  Tigerlets — "  DeProfundis" — 
The  last  Day  with  Ramsay — Enter  Nepal — Sir  Jung  Bahadoor — Nepalese 
Civilities — An  Elephantine  Procession — Fighting-elephants — A  good 
Beginning — An  abstruse  Joke — Taking  to  Roost — The  terrible  Proboscis 
— "Jung  Pershaud  is  coming!" — Bigli  Pershaud  enters — "Cui  Lumen 
ademptum  "—Ballet-drill— The  Reign  of  Terror— Departure  from  Nepal. 

FEBRUARY  8. — Dreaming  possibly  of  the  Taj,  or  of  the  pleas- 
ant camp  and  the  hospitalities  of  Sir  John  and  Lady  Strachey 
at  Agra,  stretched  at  length  on  the  comfortable  cushions  of  our 
railway  carriages,  and  snugly  wrapped  in  resais,  we  were  borne 
through  the  night,  taking  no  note  of  fime,  away  to  Rohilcund. 
An  hour  or  so  after  daybreak  the  report  of  guns  and  a  crash  of 

music !     What !     Is   there  still  a   Durbar  ?     Or   it  is  only   an 

411 


412  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

address  ?  Or  it  is  a  reception  ?  Effectively,  we  were  at  Mora- 
dabad.  Brigadier  Payn,  and  the  military  arid  civilian  staff  of 
the  district,  a  guard  of  honor,  band  and  colors  of  the  i8th  Royal 
Irish,  were  waiting  on  the  platform.  Outside,  detachments  of 
the  28th  Native  Infantry  and  of  the  3d  Ghoorkas,  and  a  squad- 
ron of  the  1 6th  Bengal  Cavalry  to  act  as  escort.  Here  there  was 
breakfast,  but  owing  to  the  confusion  and  excitement  of  the  native 
attendants,  it  was  rather  a  feast  of  the  Barmecide.  The  C  Battery 
igth  Brigade,  had  laid  six-mile  relays  for  the  twenty-six  miles  to 
the  shooting  camp  at  Bahrinie,  and  the  horses  were  ridden  by 
the  artillerymen  at  a  tremendous  pace  over  an  excellent  pucka 
road.  The  morning  was  fresh  and  the  air  delightful.  Before  us 
lay  the  great  level  plains  of  Rohilcund,  green  with  the  new  crops 
and  island-like  clumps  or  topes  of  trees,  which  form  a  distinct  fea- 
ture of  the  landscape,  the  work  of  the  old  rulers,  who  planted  them 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  highways,  and  generally  close  to  tanks  and 
watercourses.  The  Ramgunga,  meandering  through  the  plains 
close  at  hand,  recalled  a  time  when  its  banks  were  lined  by  hostile 
Rohillas,  and  the  country  through  which  we  were  passing  was  in 
the  hands  of  a  mortal  enemy.  Now  all  looks  peaceful  and  pros- 
perous. Far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  hedgeless  fields,  vast  herds  of 
cattle,  villages  (which  a  man  would  give  much  to  see  in  Ireland,  or 
in  parts  of  Scotland),  in  the  far  distance  certain  white  streaks  in 
the  air — our  first  glimpse  of  the  snow-peaks  of  the  Himalayas. 
The  first  six-mile  stage  was  donfc  at  the  rate  of  sixteen  miles  an 
hour.  We  halted  at  the  roadside,  where  there  was  a  little  camp, 
with  commissariat,  grass-cutters,  and  tents  complete.  It  was  a 
pleasure  to  see  the  smart  non-commissioned  officers  and  drivers 
— coats,  boots,  breeches,  bits  and  buckles,  with  the  genuine 
Woolwich  glisten  upon  them — forming  a  nucleus  for  crowds  of 
the  apathetic  and  rather  sulky-looking  natives  on  the  roadway. 
Buckles  were  undone  in  a  trice,  panting  horses  walked  out,  a  new 
set  of  horses  harnessed,  and  the  carriages  were  off  again.  Stage 
after  stage  the  same  scene  ;  the  outline  of  the  mountains  north- 
ward growing  more  pronounced  as  the  carriages  rattled  with  the 
light-hearted  company  on  towards  the  camp.  The  broad  and 


THE    TERAI.  413 

well-laid  road  was  lined  by  peepul  and  acacia,  which  rather  hid  the 
view  ;  but  towards  noon  certain  white  pyramids,  like  squat  sugar- 
loaves,  could  be  seen  above  the  level,  backed  by  a  great  forest 
of  cornfields.  "  There  are  the  tents !  "  It  was  the  shooting 
camp  at  Bahrinie. 

As  soon  as  the  Prince's  cortege  was  visible,  the  3d  Ghoorka 
guard  of  honor,  and  the  detachment  of  the  i$th  Bengal  Cavalry, 
turned  out ;  about  two  hundred  elephants  were  ranged  on  the 
side  of  the  road,  that  his  Royal  Highness  might  see  what  prep- 
arations had  been  made  by  "  the  King  of  Kumaoun,"  as  Gen- 
eral Ramsay  is  called,  to  give  him  sport.  Up  fluttered  the  Royal 
Standard  to  the  summit  of  the  lofty  flag-staff  ;  the  band  played 
"  God  save  the  Queen."  Here  we  are  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
Terai.  As  a  "  forest "  in  Scotland  means  a  mountain  on  which 
there  are  no  trees,  so  the  word  "  Terai,"  often  applied  to  the 
wooded  belt  at  the  base  of  the  Himalayas,  is  really  the  prairie 
which  lies  outside  it  for  hundreds  of  miles.  At  this  time  of  year 
it  is  as  healthy  as  any  part  of  Europe,  but  at  other  periods  a 
deadly  fever  attacks  Europeans  and  natives,  except  the  peculiar 
people  who  live  and  thrive  in  the  dreaded  region.  Farewell  to 
carpeted  tents  and  the  luxuries  of  Agra  or  Delhi !  But  welcome, 
very  welcome,  the  snug,  blue  lined  tent,  very  little  better  than  a 
"pall,"  which  afforded  its  grateful  shelter!  A  large  mess-tent, 
and  the  European  servants,  in  black  coats  and  white  cravats,  of 
Mr.  Kellner,  the  German  contractor,  showed  that  even  in  the 
Terai  it  could  not  be  forgotten  that  the  Prince  was  present. 
Our  camp  was  pitched  by  the  roadside,  close  to  a  dense  jungle  \ 
an  undulating  prairie,  covered  with  high  reeds  and  grass, 
stretched  away  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  where  the  Snowy 
Range  was  hidden  by  the  out-jutting  shoots  of.  the  lower  hills. 
It  was  arranged  that  only  a  certain  number  of  his  Royal  High- 
ness' suite  should  accompany  him  to  Nynee  Tal  to  see  "the 
Snows,"  the  great  expanse  of  ice  and  snow  in  which  Switzerland 
and  all  its  mountains  would  be  lost.  Fortunately  he  reached 
the  hill  in  time  to  behold  the  range  of  the  Himalayas,  lighted 
up  by  the  setting  sun,  under  their  most  favorable  aspect,  when 


414  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

the  rose  hue  steals  up  from  the  darkening  base  over  the  pure 
white  summits.  As  the  day  was  yet  young,  those  who  were  left 
behind  thought  they  would  make  the  most  of  it.  There  were  great 
hunters  amongst  them — General  Sam  Browne,  Colonel  Dickens, 
Major  Bradford,  Major  Prinsep,  and  others.  It  was  suggested 
that  we  should  beat  the  jungle,  avoiding  the  district  marked  out 
for  the  Prince  to-morrow,  and  in  half-an-hour  more  we  were 
crashing  through  a  thick  wood,  in  a  way  which,  to  a  new-comer, 
seemed  to  involve  the  danger  of  being  swept  off  the  elephant's 
back  by  branches,  or  torn  by  contending  boughs.  But  a  good 
mahout  will  guide  these  docile  creatures  much  more  easily  than 
a  steersman  directs  a  boat.  So  the  great  procession  went  on, 
tearing  through  briar  and  brake,  alarming  cheetul,  hog-deer, 
wild  boar,  peacock,  and  jungle-fowl.  Now  and  then  a  fusillade, 
and  a  triumphant  hurrah  told  that  some  victim  had  fallen  ;  but 
there  was  more  excitement  than  sport,  till  we  came  to  a  withered 
tree,  on  the  branches  of  which  were  forty  or  fifty  gorged  vultures, 
"  I  am  sure  there  is  a  kill,"  said  Colonel  Dickens,  and— sure 
enough — there  was  the  half-devoured  carcass  of  a  buffalo,  left 
by  a  tiger  so  recently,  that  the  stream  was  still  discolored  where 
it  had  crossed.  The  word  was  instantly  passed,  "  No  tigers, 
gentlemen  !  "  just  as  one  hears  in  an  English  covert,  "  No  hens, 
if  you  please,  gentlemen  !  "  The  elephants  began  to  trumpet.  I 
was  on  the  left,  close  to  a  belt  of  wood,  in  grass  that  came  quite 
up  to  the  top  of  the  howdah.  "  Look  out !  "  exclaimed  Major 
Prinsep,  "there  is  something  before  you  !  "  The  grass  was  cleft 
asunder  by  some  dark  body,  which  showed  for  an  instant  like  a 
porpoise  in  a  tideway,  and  I  fired.  "  Luggee  !  "  exclaimed  the 
shikarry  behind  me,  "  Luggee  !  He  is  hit !  "  "  What  was  it  ?  " 
asked  I.  The  answer  was  terrible !  Concurrent  testimony 
declared  that  it  was  a  splendid  tiger.  But  I  at  least  knew  that 
if  the  tiger  were  hit  he  certainly  was  not  killed.  I  had  two  guns 
in  my  howdah,  one  a  rifle  and  the  other  a  smooth-bore,  and  I 
had  delivered  a  dose  of  buck-shot  to  the  king  of  the  jungle, 
which  at  the  worst,  could  only  have  caused  him  a  disagreeable 
titillation.  "  Grief  is  for  little  wrongs — despair  for  mine."  I 


tf 


•  r 


THE    RETURN   TO    CAMP.  415 

had  not  the  courage  to  reveal  the  fact,  but  somehow  it  leaked 
out,  although  I  am  not  aware  it  was  known  to  those  most  con- 
cerned till  some  time  afterwards.  "  I  am  glad  you  got  a  shot  at 
your  tiger  !  "  said  one.  "  Wonder  if  he'll  die  !  "  exclaimed 
another.  "  Do  you  think  you  hit  him  ?  "  asked  a  third.  "  No 
one  expected  a  tiger  there  !  "  and  so  on.  We  returned  to  camp 
just  as  it  was  dark.  The  sun  had  not  well  gone  down  ere  the 
chorus  of  jackals,  wolves,  owls,  night-jars,  and  strange  birds, 
filled  the  air.  The  wind  came  down  keenly  from  the  moun- 
tain ranges,  and  the  comfort  of  fireplaces  to  which  we  had  been 
accustomed  in  our  grand  tents  was  missed,  so  that  some  of  the 
party  resorted  to  the  old  Crimean  practice  of  dressing  to  go  to 
bed. 

February  9.  —  A  concert  of  coughing,  sneezing,  chattering  and 
shivering  from  the  camp-followers  around  the  tents  awoke  me 
this  morning.  The  poor  creatures  from  the  south,  with  nothing 
but  thin  cotton  robes  to  cover  them,  must  have  been  miserable 
indeed.  I  believe  we  should  all  be  more  charitable  if  we  lived 
in  tents.  As  soon  as  the  shooting-elephants  had  started  to  meet 
the  Prince  on  his  return  from  N/nee  Tal,  Lord  Aylesford,  Lord 
Carington,  Colonel  Williams,  Colonel  Ellis,  Major  Prinsep,  &c., 
set  out  on  horseback,  under  the  guidance  of  General  Browne,  to 
a  village  six  miles  away.  There  we  found  Major  Sartorius  coming 
from  Moradabad,  who  joined  the  party.  The  fleet  of  shooting- 
elephants  having  received  its  passengers  on  board,  weighed,  and 
stood  in  line  across  the  ocean  of  pulse,  grain,  and  barley,  outside 
which  we  could  see  herds  of  black-buck  ;  but  long  before  we  got 
within  shot  they  vanished  into  the  long  grass.  The  ground 
literally  swarmed  with  game  —  cheetul,  buck,  marsh-deer,  and 
wild  boars.  My  shikarry,  Lall  Sing,  a  trooper  of  the  Central 
India  Horse,  must  have  been  able  to  see  through  a  stone  wall. 
"  Deko  !  "  here  —  "  Deko  !  "  there  —  said  he  every  moment, 
pointing  as  if  he  saw  what  was  bounding  away  through  the  grass, 
while  I  might  as  well  have  tried  to  make  out  the  clock  of  St. 
Paul's  in  a  London  fog.  Occasionally  the  elephant  whisked 
round,  or  started  so  violently  as  to  cause  one  to  hold  on  with 


THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

might  and  main  in  the  howdah,  as  "  something  "  ran  close  to 
his  legs.  At  last  various  game  began  to  suffer,  and  deer,  wild 
boar,  partridge,  black  and  red,  para,  &c.,  accumulated  on  the 
backs  of  the  pad  elephant.  The  courage  of  the  boar  is  worthy 
of  commendation.  One,  transfixed  by  a  spear,  turned  upon  the 
huntsman,  and  drove  him  to  seek  safety  on  the  back  of  an  elephant. 
Another,  with  a  splendid  "hog"  mane- and  great  tusks,  charged 
the  line,  striking  such  dismay  into  the  elephants,  who  preferred 
being  rent  behind  to  having  a  proboscis  and  tusk  encounter  in 
front,  that  the  noble  savage  escaped.  We  reached  camp  at  7 
o'clock.  Here  we  found  his  Royal  Highness,  who  had  returned 
much  pleased  with  his  visit  to  Nynee  Tal,  although  his  first  day 
was  a  blank. 

After  dinner,  great  logs  were  heaped  up  in  front  of  the  mess- 
tent  ;  chairs  were  brought,  and  before  the  huge  camp  fire,  burning 
brightly,  the  Prince  and  the  company  sat  listening  to  the  delight- 
ful anecdotes  of  Sir  Henry  Ramsay,  who  invests  the  land  and 
the  people  and  the  chase  with  fresh  interest.  He  told  us  of  a 
certain  village  in  his  territory  where  the  people  were  terribly 
troubled  by  a  tiger  ;  so  they  sent  for  the  wise  man — the  barab- 
har,  I  think  he  said — to  charm  the  beast  away  with  his  drum  and 
songs.  The  tiger,  however,  came  out  and  ate  the  wise  man — 
whereupon  the  villagers  arose  and  migrated.  "  For,"  said  they, 
"now  that. the  tiger  has  eaten  our  sage,  he  will  know  all  our 
secrets,  and  we  shall  have  no  chance  of  evading  him." 

The  band  of  the  3d  Ghoorka  Regiment  has  moved  up  with 
us.  The  strains  of  Verdi,  Offenbach,  Donizetti,  and  Mozart 
mingle  with  the  howls  of  wolves  and  jackals.  It  is  clear  moon- 
light ;  the  stars  are  shining  brightly ;  above  us  tower  the  Himalayas. 
Who  knows  what  lies  beyond  these  snows  ?  Who  can  tell  what 
the  crowd  who  sit  afar,  with  their  cloaks  thrown  around  their 
heads,  are  thinking  of,  as  they  gaze  at  the  white-faced  strangers 
laughing  and  chatting  so  merrily  in  front  of  the  camp-fire  ? 

February  10. — Three  parties  were  formed,  but  no  tiger  was 
killed.  After  several  blanks,  the  Prince  and  his  party  were 
posted  by  General  Ramsay  round  a  patch  of  deep  grass  and 


TIGER   HUNTING.  417 

reeds,  with  water  near  it,  in  which  a  tiger  was  reported  to  be 
hiding.  The  elephants  were  sent  in  to  beat.  Unfortunately, 
the  Prince  was  shifted  to  another  place,  and  immediately  after 
he  had  moved,  a  splendid  tiger  rushed  out  within  twenty  paces 
of  where  the  Prince  had  been  stationed.  The  Prince  fired,  but 
the  grass  was  high,  and  the  tiger,  which  received  the  fire  of 
others,  got  off  untouched.  Subsequently  a  leopard  started  from 
the  jungle,  which  the  Prince  wounded,  and  which  was  killed. 
However,  the  general  shooting,  deer  and  small  game,  was  very 
successful. 

February  n. — Our  objective  point  was  Peepul  Perao,  thir- 
teen miles  to  the  eastward  of  our  present  camp.  Each  of  the 
party  has  by  this  time  got  on  pretty  good  terms  with  his  mahout, 
his  shikarry,  and  his  elephant ;  but  the  wonderful  way  in  which 
some  of  the  former  persist  in  never  learning  how  to  secure  the 
howdah  provokes  great  acrimony.  As  the  unwieldy  but  not 
stupid  brute  which  sustains  the  howdah  plods  along,  the  occu 
pant  sometimes  feels  that  he  is  going  steadily  over  on  one  side. 
The  mahout,  forcibly  admonished  of  the  fact,  entreats  the  shi- 
karry to  step  out  on  the  back  of  the  animal,  to  drag  at  the  how- 
dah to  set  it  straight,  or  conjures  two  or  three  friends  on  pad 
elephants  to  come  to  his  assistance.  But  it  generally  happens 
that  at  some  crisis  in  the  hunt  you  have  to  halt  while  the  elephant 
lies  down,  and  the  howdah,  with  all  its  difficult  apparatus  of 
chains,  ropes,  and  straps,  is  readjusted.  At  this  time  of  year 
tigers  are  in  the  deepest  swamps,  where  the  grass  rises  many 
feet  above  your  head  ;  and  the  only  chance  of  finding  them  is  in 
diligently  thrashing  through  the  morass.  Deep  as  these  swamps 
and  j heels  are,  they  generally  end  in  narrow  guts,  or  taper  away 
to  comparatively  bare  spaces.  What  swarming  life  of  birds ! 
Duck,  teal,  kingfishers,  reed  warblers,  painted  and  common 
snipe,  rails,  dappers,  butcherbirds,  partridge  and  quail  ;  parrots, 
many  sorts  of  thrush  or  grackles,  woodpeckers,  fly-catchers,  owls  ; 
jungle-cock  in  the  thick  stuff,  black  partridge  on  the  outskirts, 
and  porcupines  rustling  over  the  dry  watercourses ;  hares  near 
the  cultivated  patches  ;  by  the  edges  of  the  woods,  little  burrow- 
18*  27 


41 8  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

ing  creatures  like  marmosets  !  Above  all,  career  eagles,  falcons, 
hawks,  buzzards,  and  kites.  Orders  strict — "  No  firing  !  "  No 
matter  what  heads  or  tusks  may  be  seen,  not  a  shot  is  to  catch 
the  ear  of  some  distant  tiger  and  send  him  slinking  away.  Hour 
after  hour  the  hunters  sweep  through  great  marshes  and  forests, 
where  dak,  sal,  teak,  and  peepul  excite  ever-recurring  wonder. 
The  absence  of  population  in  these  regions  is  not  remarkable 
when  one  thinks  how  people  would  be  harassed  by  wild  beasts 
and  by  fever ;  but  still,  to  travel  mile  after  mile  through  beauti- 
fully-wooded regions,  where  Nature  seemed  to  give  the  most 
astonishing  proofs  of  vigor  and  fertility,  and  find  no  trace  of 
man,  was  startling!  It  is  too  much  to  say  no  trace,  because  we 
came  upon  wigwams  belonging  to  people  who  had  come  down 
from  the  hills  to  feed  their  herds  in  the  winter  time — poverty- 
stricken,  subdued,  timid-looking  creatures,  of  mild  inoffensive 
aspect,  clad  in  coarse  cotton.  Those  who  think  that  it  is  not  an 
unpleasant  half-hour  when  the  cart  advances  with  its  Norwegian 
stove,  and  the  cloth  is  spread  on  the  grass  in  some  pleasant  din- 
gle at  home,  would  not  disapprove  of  the  arrangements  made  by 
General  Browne  for  shooting-tiffin  in  the  jungle.  Not  merely 
German  waiters  and  the  work  of  French  cooks  transported  on 
the  backs  of  elephants,  but  blocks  of  ice  to  cool  the  wine  and 
water,  and  many  other  luxuries  not  at  all  to  be  despised  by  those 
who  can  get  them  when  heated  with  the  chase.  When  all  hope 
of  tiger  was  abandoned,  the  word  was  passed  for  "general 
i i hooting"  homewards. 

Peepul  Perao,  which  we  reached  ere  sunset,  is  a  name  only. 
Even  the  map-makers  do  not  venture  to  give  a  local  habitation 
to  it.  The  once  quiet  glades  now  presented  long  lines  of  tents, 
blazing  camp-fires  and  bustle  of  camp-life  ;  the  trumpetings  of 
elephants,  the  neighing  of  horses,  broke  through  the  stfence  of 
the  forest. 

The  camp  contains  2500  persons.  Without  counting  General 
Ramsay's  separate  camp  establishment,  there  are  119  elephants, 
550  camels,  100  horses,  60  carts  drawn  by  oxen,  many  goats  and 
milch-cows,  sheep,  and  perambulating  materials  for  food.  There 


TERM    SCENERY.  419 

are  nearly  600  coolies,  60  tent-pitchers,  20  men  to  supply  water, 
20  men  to  'clean,  20  messengers,  75  non-commisioned  officers 
and  men  of  3d  Goorkhas  and  their  band,  20  troopers  nth 
Bengal  Cavalry,  16  of  the  28th  native  infantry;  a  detach- 
ment of  native  camp  police  (it  will  be  observed  the  Prince's 
person  is  guarded  by  natives  exclusively),  and  there  are  odds 
and  ends  which  add  to  the  total,  without  counting  mahouts  and 
their  families  and  camel-men,  assembled  round  the  Prince  and 
his  thirty  or  forty  Europeans.  Certainly  I  should  feel  rather 
proud  of  myself  if  I  were  a  wild  beast  and  knew  all  this. 

February  12. — It  is  almost  a  certainty  that  the  first  sight 
that  catches  one's  eye  in  the  morning  is  the  light,  spare  figure  of 
General  Ramsay  smoking  the  inevitable  cheroot,  which,  if  unac- 
companied by  spirits  or  wine,  must  be  one  of  the  most  whole- 
some articles  of  diet  in  the  world,  should  we  judge  from  the 
King  of  Kumaoun.  The  shooting  camp  was  shifted  to-day  from 
Peepul  Perao  to  Nuglah,  about  twelve  miles  away. 

The  first  party  had  about  eighty  elephants.  The  second 
division  had  fifty.  Covert  after  covert  was  beaten,  but  the  land- 
lords were  not  at  home.  General  Ramsay  did  his  best ;  but  it  is 
too  early  in  the  year,  and  it  was  labor  in  vain.  When  the  flies 
are  not  out  the  tigers  are  in.  The  ground  was  so  deep  in  places 
that  the  beasts  floundered  about  as  if  drownrng,  and  mine  sunk 
so  that  the  mud  reached  its  lower  jaw  !  The  ground  between  the 
jheels,  thickly  wooded  with  Butea  frondosa,  euphorbias,  elephant 
creepers,  D  err  is  scan  dens,  dwarf  -palms,  and  the  dak-tree,  leafless, 
but  decked  with  profuse  bunches  of  the  brightest  scarlet  flowers. 
It  was  a  relief  to  hear  the  word  down  the  line — "  You  may  fire 
at  anything."  And  when  the  pad  elephants  were  drawn  up  in 
camp  at  night  there  was  a  fair  show  of  sambur,  cheetul,  nilghie, 
marsh-deer  and  pig.  Eighteen  Bhoteas,  a  Hill  people,  a  cross 
between  Monguls  and  Thibetans,  of  whom  six  were  women,  were 
brought  down  ;  but  though  they  may  be  curious,  they  are  not  in- 
teresting. They  were  sketched  by  Mr.  Hall,  and  they  were  photo- 
graphed. They  bore  the  ordeals  with  perfect  composure.  The  wo- 
men wore  silver  amulets,  ornaments  of  turquoise  and  rude  gems 


420  THE   PRINCE   OF    WALES     TOUR. 

round  their  necks  ;  some  had  silver  nose,  finger,  and  toe  rings, 
and  anklets  of  uncouth  workmanship.  One  man  had  a  praying- 
wheel  ;  others,  who  were  professional  beggars,  produced  the 
little  drums  by  which  they  incite  a  desperate  chanty. 

February  13. — A  day  of  rest.  I  walked  over  to  General 
Ramsay's  camp,  where  the  Rev.  Julian  Robinson  read  service. 
The  lock  of  one  of  my  guns  was  broken  by  the  shikarry.  I  was 
told  that  Ghole  Mahomed,  a  blacksmith  and  general  workman 
with  General  Browne,  could  repair  it,  so  the  gun  was  given  to 
him,  and  he  brought  it  over  neatly  mended — a  new  spring  in. 
"  You  should  not  have  worked  on  a  Sunday,"  said  I,  "  Mahom- 
ed." "  It  was  a  necessary  work,  Sahib,"  said  he,  "  and  your 
Book  says  it  is  lawful  to  do  what  is  necessary  on  your  holy  day. 
How  could  you  shoot  to-morrow  if  I  didn't  mend  your  gun  ? "  On 
my  way  from  one  camp  to  the  other  I  saw  a  crowd  of  Natives 
hopping  about  in  a  very  lively  manner  in  a  sort  of  circle,  at  the 
same  time  striking  with  their  sticks  at  something  on  the  ground. 
It  was  at  a  small  snake  which  was,  they  said,  very  venomous. 
There  are  plenty  of  them  here,  but  no  cobras;  pythons  are 
numerous  in  the  woods.  It  is  remarkable  that  we  have  seen 
few  snakes  in  India,  where  deaths  from  snake-bites  amount  to 
many  thousands  every  year. 

February  14. — St.  Valentine's  Day.  Dr.  Kellett  keeps  a  rec- 
ord of  the  game,  and  it  is  curious  reading.  Take  "  an  off-day," 
for  example  : — "  H.  R.  H.,  2  para  (deer),  i  pig,  3  black  partridge, 
i  kingfisher ;  Lord  Aylesford,  2  mongoose,  i  para,  i  hare,  i  par- 
tridge, 3  plover  ;  Lord  Carington,  2  partridge,  i  cheetul ;  Lord 
A.  Paget,  i  porcupine,  i  florican,  i  partridge,  i  hare  ;  Fayrer,  2 
para,  i  cheetul ;  Prinsep,  i  hare,  2  para,  3  partridge  ;  Dr.  Smith, 
i  pig,  i  partridge,"  &c.  The  camp  moved  from  Nuglah  to 
Tandah  ;  the  shooters  divided  into  four  parties.  The  Prince's 
party,  led  by  General  Ramsay,  moved  across  the  open  country 
in  line,  killing  boar,  deer,  and  partridge,  till  we  reached  the 
jungle.  Presently  sight  was  caught  of  two  dark  objects  in  the 
grass.  They  were  bears.  One  was  fired  at  and  killed  by  Lord 
Aylesford.  Mr.  Macdonald  called  out,  "  Tiger  gone  back  ! " 


THE    KING    OF    BEASTS.  421 

The  elephants  began  to  beat  the  jungle  once  more.  The  Prince 
was  placed  in  the  middle.  In  two  or  three  minutes  the  ele- 
phants near  him  gave  way,  and  looking  across  a  small  rivulet,  I 
saw  a  bear,  crouched  as  if  listening,  between  the  Princj  and  me. 
The  Prince  fired.  The  bear  dropped,  but  got  up  and  rushed  out 
of  the  jungle,  charging  an  elephant  in  its  way.  Several  shots 
were  fired,  and  it  rolled  over  into  the  rivulet,  struck  by  a  fatal 
ball,  but  it  had  been  hit  by  the  Prince's  first  barrel.  It  was  a 
sloth  bear,  of  extraordinary  size  and  weight.  These  creatures 
are  exceedingly  fierce  and,  mischievous,  and  Mr.  Macdonald  has 
official  knowledge  of  eight  persons  having  been  killed  in  two 
consecutive  nights  by  one  of  them.  The  other  parties  were  not 
successful. 

The  weather  is  cold  at  night  with  variations  of  40°  between 
2  A.  M.  and  2  P.  M.  Quinine  is  taken  according  to  prescription, 
but  the  country  is  considered  quite  healthy  at  this  time  of  year. 
The  people,  who  are  called  Taroos,  a  small-boned,  quiet  race,  suffer 
much.  They  have  taken  to  drink  whiskey  as  a  national  beverage. 

The  lion  is  called  "  the  King  of  Beasts  "  by  ^Esop,  but  JEsop 
was  an  African.  In  the  Indian  jungle  the  tiger  is  king,  and 
there  is  no  royal  road  to  shooting  him  ;  every  other  creature 
must  be  allowed  to  pass  unscathed  when  he  is  sought ;  for  to 
kill  a  tiger,  hours  of  beating  and  watching  and  halting  must  be 
endured  day  after  clay  without  repining.  There  is  indeed  the 
excitement  of  knowing  that  at  any  moment  the  quiet  patch  of 
grass  before  your  eyes  may  be  rent  asunder,  and  its  yielding 
rushes  and  waving  reeds  may  glow  with  the  fire  of  that  terrible 
eye,  and  warm  with  the  rich  color  of  that  royal  presence.  One 
is  told  it  is  much  nobler  to  descend  into  the  jungle  on  foot  and 
to  seek  the  tiger  in  his  lair,  but  gentlemen  who  pursue  that  sport 
are  generally  destroyed  ;  certainly,  whether  safe  or  not,  it  would 
not  be  possible  to  pursue  the  sport  here,  for  no  living  man  could 
walk  a  hundred  yards  through  the  astonishing  grr— th  of  reeds 
and  tangled  vegetation.  It  might  be  possible  to  -t  a  tiger  by 
sitting  night  after  night  watching  on  a  roost  up  in  a  tree  over  a 
pool  of  water,  or  the  carcass  of  a  dead  buffalo ;  but,  in  truth,  the 


422  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

beasts  are  not  abroad.  "  These  confounded  tigers  are  beating 
me,"  poor  General  Ramsay  was  wont  to  say,  quite  ruefully,  night 
after  night.  They  are  like  a  needle,  not  in  a  bundle  but  in  a 
stack  of  hay,  and  thousands  of  elephants  in  the  jungle  could  not 
force  them  out. 

February  15. — From  Tandah  to  Ooncha  Gong,  only  a  march 
of  five  miles,  the  beat  extended  over  fifteen.  For  a  long  time 
there  was  tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  through  wood  and  swamp,  and 
nothing  worth  shooting  to  see.  At  last  fortune  began  to  smile. 
A  great  sloth  bear  was  discovered  sunning  herself  in  the  jungle, 
which  started  off  with  a  scrambling  run  in  the  high  grass.  A 
quick  shot  from  Mr.  Colvin  killed  it.  When  the  hunters  went 
up  they  found  two  cubs,  about  the  size  of  full-grown  pug  dogs, 
gambolling  about  their  dam,  as  unconscious  as  herself  of  the 
cause  of  her  sudden  quiet.  As  soon  as  they  found  the  strange 
beings  were  about  to  separate  them  from  their  mother,  they 
fiercely  snapped  their  little  milk  tusks  at  their  captors.  At  last 
they  were  secured,  uttering  piteous  cries,  and  fastened  on  a  pad 
elephant.  As  soon  as  the  carcass  of  the  dam  was  hoisted  up 
alongside  the  poor  little  fellows,  they  stilled  their  lamentation. 
At  camp  they  were  put  into  a  box,  and  ate  a  dish  of  bread-and- 
milk  without  much  pressing. 

Towards  four  o'clock  the  hunters  entered  a  covert  in  which 
the  reeds  and  grass  rose  high  above  the  howdahs  ;  at  times  the 
elephants  were  restive.  A  para  (deer)  bounded  past  Lord 
Suffield.  An  instant  afterwards  there  was  a  sharp  cry.  The 
line  pressed  on,  and  a  tigress  made  a  rush  through  the  thick  stuff. 
It  is  not  easy  to.  determine  what  happens  on  such  an  occasion. 
Every  one  who  sees  has  a  shot.  Lord  Carington  was  credited 
with  the  hardest  hit ;  but  Sir  D.  Probyn,  who  certainly  made  his 
mark,  refused  to  claim  any  share  in  the  skin.  The  tigress,  hit 
through  shoulder,  head,  and  back,  rolled  over  with  a  growl,  which 
died  into  a  moan,  and  with  a  few  heaves  of  her  striped  sides  lay 
stark,  but  not  stiff.  The  milk  still  flowed  from  her  paps.  The 
natives  ascribe  many  virtues  to  the  natural  food  of  young  tigers, 
but  no  one  was  bold  enough  to  test  the  truth  of  their  assertions. 


TIGERS    AND    TIGERLETS.  423 

They  believe  that  the  whiskers  are  a  sovereign  remedy  for 
maladies  incident  to  advancing  years,  and  that  tiger's  fat  is  a 
specific  for  wounds  and  for  sores  which  nothing  else  can  cure. 
So  here  was  a  whole  pharmacopoeia  stretched  before  us.  The 
tremor  of  the  elephants  was  explained  when  it  was  found  that 
there  had  been  three  little  tigers,  some  six  weeks  old,  running 
about  in  the  covert,  playing  with  their  mother.  What  became  of 
these  bereaved  tigerlets  ?  General  Ramsay  thinks  their  father, 
will  have  nothing  to  do  with  them — that  he  will  be  very  angry, 
in  fact,  if  they  come  near  him.  If  they  were  old  enough  they 
might  pick  up  the  fragments  of  his  feast,  and  dispute  the  disjecta 
membra  with  jackals,  wolves,  and  vultures,  but  he  will  not  teach 
their  young  ideas  how  to  hunt.  The  deer  the  tigress  intended 
for  their  dinner  was  discovered,  its  neck  broken  and  flanks  rent 
by  one  stroke  of  those  claws  which  now  any  one  could  feel  with 
impunity. 

February  16. — The  camp  moved  from  Ooncha  Gong  to  Sas- 
soona.  While  enjoying  very  good  sport  in  general  shooting,  two 
villagers  brought  positive  news  of  tigers  in  a  swamp  of  extraor- 
dinary depth.  Lord  C.  Beresford  and  I  were  sent  on  to  guard 
the  farther  end.  We  heard  much  shouting,  and  went  to  ascertain 
the  cause.  General  Browne's  elephant  had  sunk  in  a  deep  hole, 
from  which  it  was  extricated,  after  much  hard  work.  Another 
met  with  a  similar  misfortune.  This  was  unlucky,  because  the 
tiger  was  just  before  them.  Lord  C.  Beresford  had  a  shot  at  a 
crocodile,  and  a  large  bear  was  seen  by  the  beaters.  Search  was 
made  for  the  bear,  but  in  vain.  The  Prince  came  to  camp  with 
a  tigress  (8  feet  6  inches  long),  and  a  fine  sloth  bear  weighing 
over  250  Ibs.  and  measuring  6  feet  8  inches,  which  he  had  killed 
after  a  long  day's  work ;  every  one  is  pleased  when  there  is  a 
kill  to  reward  General  Ramsay's  efforts.  There  were  deer  and 
pig,  some  florican,  black  partridge,  and  sundries  to  boot.  A 
mailed  ant-eater,  or  manis,  was  brought  in  alive.  It  could  only 
be  uncoiled  by  pouring  water  on  it.*  Colonel  Owen  Williams, 
to  our  great  regret,  was  obliged  to  leave  for  England  to-day. 
*  It  died  on  board  the  Serapis. 


424  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

February  17. — There  was  a  pleasant  patter  of  rain  on  the 
canvas,  and  a  sound  of  the  kel assies  trenching  and  digging 
round  the  tents,  as  if  the  force  were  sapping  up  to  an  enemy, 
last  night.  •  It  was  only  making  drains.  The  shower  caused 
General  Ramsay  uneasiness,  as  the  fords  become  impassable  on 
small  provocation.  Had  the  rain  lasted,  the  Prince  would  have 
been  unable  to  shift  his  quarters,  for  the  ship  of  the  desert  hates 
water,  unless  for  drinking,  and  founders  irretrievably  in  a  few 
inches  of  mud. 

It  was  10.45  A.  M.  before  the  tents  were  struck,  and  the 
shooting  party  stood  in  single  file  westward,  to  beat  the  covert 
in  which  the  tigress  was  killed  yesterday.  Unambitious  shooters 
viewed  with  regret  gorgeous  peacocks,  fly,  sambur,  cheetul,  and 
wild  boar  bound  across  the  path.  When  the  scene  of  the  kill 
was  reached,  the  Prince  and  one  body  made  a  sweep  round  the 
swamp.  The  other  guns  were  disposed  in  a  semicircle  at  the 
extremity  and  on  the  flanks.  At  12.50  P.  M.  the  word  was  given 
to  advance,  and  there  arose  the  noise,  like  the  hissing  of  a  long 
rolling  surf  on  the  shingles  of  a  beach  after  a  storm,  made  by 
elephants  moving  through  the  grass  and  rushes.  The  elephant, 
resolved  not  to  get  into  a  hole  if  he  can  help  it,  thrusts  his  pro- 
boscis down  in  front,  and  sways  it  from  right  to  left  and  left  to 
right  with  the  regularity  of  a  pendulum,  laying  low  the  green  wall 
with  the  "fleisen  "  sw-i-i-sh  which  the  Germans  say  Homer  meant 
when  he  wrote  of  "  the  much-resounding  sea."  The  elephant, 
perhaps,  would  decide  the  question  if  we  could  only  find  a 
mahout  intelligent  enough  to  understand  it,  and  put  it  to  him 
properly  in  elephant  language.  Suddenly  there  was  a  roar, 
which  those  who  visit  the  Zoological  Gardens  on  Sundays  at 
feeding-times  would  ascribe  to  one  of  the  largest  carnivora. 
"  It  is  a  guddee  *  elephant  that  has  gone  down  in  a  hole  ;  that's 
all  !  "  A  good  deal  for  the  poor  guddee,  however,  who  had 
scarcely  more  than  his  head  and  proboscis  over  the  mud,  and 
who  made  a  tremendous  outcry  over  his  situation.  Elephants, 

*  An  elephant  for  the  transport  of  game,  &c.,  which  carries  only  a  pad. 


"DE    PROFUNDIS."  425 

unlike  men,  will  always  help  a  friend  out  of  a  hole — aye,  more, 
they  will  help  an  elephant  with  whom  they  have  not  even  a  bow- 
ing acquaintance.  At  1.45  P.M.  passed  through  a  forest  filled 
with  birds  in  infinite  variety  ;  trees,  not  one  of  which  was  known 
to  the  most  learned  of  us,  except  as  "  a  kind  of  "  something  or 
other,  intersected  by  gullies  and  streams,  with  steep  banks.  It 
was  very  hard,  but  the  tigers  would  not  show.  To  add  to  the 
aggravation  of  a  blank,  there  was  scarcely  one  of  the  party  who 
could  not  have  killed  a  magnificent  girow,  or  sambur  or  two. 

The  sun  was  getting  low  when  the  elephants  made  a  sweep 
towards  the  smoke,  rising  high  in  the  calm  air,  which  indicated 
the  site  of  the  new  camp  at  Nanuk  Mutla.  A  few  deer,  hares, 
and  black  partridge,  of  the  last  of  which  Lord  A.  Paget  made  the 
largest  bag,  were  added  to  the  score. 

The  camp  was  pitched  in  a  fine  tope  of  mango  and  Fifus 
vinosa,  near  a  favorite  place  of  pilgrimage  of  the  Sikhs,  revered 
for  the  miracles  of  Nanuk  Goroo.  The  Prince  and  his  party- 
came  in  at  8  p.  M.  with  two  young  tigers.  The  third  party  saw 
a  tiger  swimming  a  river,  and  Ali  Ashkar  Khan  got  a  long  shot 
at  it.  We  are,  indeed,  in  Tigerdom,  but  the  kings  of  the  country 
will  not  show  us  civility,  though  one  ate  a  man  to-day  near  us. 

February  18. — -Several  of  the  suite  visited  the  shrine  of 
Nanuk  Goroo,  and  found  many  ascetics  and  pilgrims  established 
round  it,  who  never  came  to  look  at  the  Royal  party.  Mr.  Girdle- 
stone  rode  over  this  morning  to  make  arrangements  for  the  visit 
to  Nepal.  All  our  native  followers  must  have  passes.  By  the 
Governor-General's  permission,  Nepalese  troops  cross  the  Sarda 
to  escort  Jung  Bahadoor.  The  whole  party  left  camp  together. 
The  elephants  formed  a  line  of  more  than  600  yards  long.  At 
12.30  P.  M.  the  elephants  crossed  a  quicksand  in  the  bed  of  the 
Deva,  which  yielded  but  did  not  break.  We  soon  came  on 
marshy  places  swarming  with  duck,  teal,  and  snipe.  Ground  so 
extensive  required  careful  beating,  and  General  Ramsay's  lieuten- 
ants, Macdonald  and  others,  aided  by  Major-General  Probyn, 
directed  the  operations.  It  was  near  2  o'clock  when  the  elephants 
gave  notice  of  something  unusual  in  front.  The  line  had  con- 


426  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

tracted,  forming  a  loop,  with  the  Prince  in  the  centre.  '.;  adi  cnly 
the  grass  moved,  and  a  tiger  bounded  across  in  the  direction  of 
the  Prince.  Those  who  saw  it  called  out,  "  Do  not  fire  ; "  but 
at  the  moment  some  one  fired  from  the  other  side  of  the  loop, 
and  the  tiger  turned  before  the  Prince  could  get  a  shot  at  it. 
The  beast  charged  the  elephants,  receiving  fire  from  the  how- 
dahs  and  rolling  over  dead,  close  to  the  end  of  the  line — a 
splendid  male,  10  feet  long,  beautifully  marked — shot  through 
back,  neck  and  ~head.  Some  of  the  party  thought  they  saw  a 
tigress  going  away  at  the  same  time,  but  Mr.  Macdonald,  who 
knows  every  inch  of  the  jungle,  thinks  they  were  mistaken.  It 
was  dark  when  the  Prince  arrived  at  Kalteema,  one  short  march 
from  Bunbussa,  on  the  Sarda.  Here  we  were  nearly  at  the 
frontier  of  Rohilcund,  and  the  shooting  excursion  in  British  ter- 
ritory terminated.  The  result  did  not  answer  expectations.  It 
is  poor  consolation  to  be  told  that  a  month  later  many  tigers  will 
be  shot  where  now  deer  wander  unmolested.  There  has,  how- 
ever, been  a  considerable  amount  of  game  killed,  from  bears  and 
deer  of  various  kinds  down  to  florican,  partridge,  and  snipe,  and 
two  large  and  two  small  tigers  have  been  scored  to  the  Prince 
and  his  friends.  The  life  for  those  who  enjoy  perpetual  change, 
especially  on  elephant  back,  is  interesting  and  healthy.. 

February  19. — The  tents  were  sent  on  to  Bunbussa.  One  of 
the  most  curious  sensations  in  the  world  is  that  of  the  dweller  in 
tents  when  he  finds  his  tent  is  gone,  and  that  he  is  left  out  on 
the  open,  blinking  his  eyes  in  the  sun,  like  an  owl  driven  from 
his  ivy-bush.  I  set  off  in  my  howdah,  as,  notwithstanding  the 
jolting,  I  could  read  as  I  travelled.  At  11.45  A-  M-  I  noticed  a 
milestone  which  informed  the  world  that  it  was  27  miles  to 
Phillibeet,  and  13  miles  to  Bermudeo — I  do  not  care  if  I  never 
see  that  milestone  again.  At  12.15  P.  M.  there  came  to  view 
another  milestone,  which  stated  that  it  was  29  miles  to  Phillibeet, 
and  ii  miles  to  Bermudeo,  so  that  my  old  elephant  was  gallivan- 
ting along  at  the  rate  of  four  miles  an  hour.  But  in  that  time 
what  strange  things  my  elephant  and  I  had  passed  by  and  duly 
observed  !  There  were  strings  of  camels  with  their  noses  and 


STRANGE    SIGHTS. 

tails  connected  by  ropes — so  a  camel  which  would  be  high- 
minded  because  he  knew  his  tail  was  compelling  the  head  of  the 
next  to  follow  was  humbled  by  finding  his  own  nose  obliged  to 
obey  the  tail  of  his  predecessor,  and  the  pride  of  the  first  of  the 
string  had  to  undergo  abatement  when  he  became  aware  that  a 
small  boy  was  leading  him  by  the  nostril.  There  were  men 
carrying  all  the  quaintnesses  of  an  Indian  camp,  boxes,  labelled 
"  Agra  Ice  Company,"  dependent  from  the  ends  of  bamboos  ; 
men  with  hooded  falcons  ;  men  with  greyhounds  ;  old  women  on 
ponies  ;  young  women  wearing  breeches ;  men  with  no  clothes 
on  their  legs  and  voluminous  folds  of  calico  on  their  heads  ; 
Sepoys  guarding  camels  or  elephants,  or  nothing  but  themselves  ; 
wallahs,  with  boarspears  ;  soda-water  bottles ;  curious  and 
familiar  articles,  which  put  one  in  mind  of  the  excellent  story  in 
Jacquemont's  letters  ;  cases  with  wine  bottles,  glistening  in  the 
sun,  bearing  the  honored  names  "  Lafitte,"  "  Chateau  Margaux," 
and  the  like  on  their  mendacious  sides.  Then  a  flock  of  goats 
and  sheep,  our  milk  and  mutton.  Thereafter,  on  an  elephant,  a 
red  iron  pillar,  labelled  "  Post  Office,"  and  animated  creatures 
of  the  same  department  on  his  back.  Then  a  cheetah,  hooded, 
in  its  ox-cart  with  two  attendants,  Fdis  jubata — purring  like  a 
gigantic  tabby  as  its  keeper  stroked  its  head,  and  so  on,  mile 
after  mile.  Presently  came  in  view  a  clump  of  trees  and  a  few 
chairs  by  the  roadside  ;  a  cloud  of  dust  announced  Sir  Jung, 
who  came  up  at  a  canter  with  a  few  officers.  He  dismounted 
and  sat  down,  talking  and  smoking,  while  Mr.  Simpson  took  a 
sketch  of  him. 

The  Prince  of  Wales  came  in  sight  about  i  o'clock.  Sir 
Jung  Bahadoor  advanced  on  foot  to  meet  him.  Sir  Jung  then 
mounted  and  rode  beside  the  Prince  to  the  camp,  where  a  guard 
of  honor  of  the  3d  Ghoorkas  and  a  cavalry  escort  were  drawn 
up ;  and,  after  the  usual  formal  visits,  the  rest  of  the  day  was 
passed  in  peace. 

February  20. — The  Rev.  Julian  Robinson  read  service  before 
his  Royal  Highness  and  the  Europeans,  with  the  exception  of 
those  who  were  obliged  to  go  to  the  new  camping-ground.  Tents 


428  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

were  struck  after  breakfast,  that  the  luggage  might  be  got  across 
the  river  to  Nepalese  territory  in  time  for  dinner.  By  midday 
the  tent  of  the  Prince,  the  mess-tent  and  shamianah,  were  the 
only  traces  of  the  encampment.  The  Prince  remained  at  Bun- 
bussa,  on  the  British  side  of  the  Sarda,  till  3  o'clock.  He  is 
about  to  enter  a  mountain  jungle,  where  roads  are  unknown  and 
camels  travel  with  difficulty.  The  elephant  must  do  all  the  work. 
There  were  at  least  half-a-dozen  bridges  to  be  crossed  before 
we  reached  the  new  camp  at  Jamoa,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river, 
for  the  Sarda,  beautifully  clear  and  impetuous,  is  now  rather  low. 
It  forms  an  infinity  of  islands  and  is  fordable  at  most  places  by 
elephants,  but  too  deep  for  horses,  and  impassable  for  camels. 
The  bridges  are  ingeniously  made  by  filling  osier-baskets  with 
stones,  and  placing  them  together  till  they  form  a  continuous 
chain  of  posts ;  on  these  branches  are  laid,  and  then  earth,  till  a 
road  is  made  for  horses  and  hackeries,  but  not  for  elephants. 
The  Prince  was  escorted  by  Sir  Jung  and  his  Sirdars.  The 
British  Ghoorkas  remained  on  the  other  side.  A  Royal  salute 
was  fired  by  the  Nepalese  artillery.  The  Prince's  camp  was 
close  to  the  tents  of  the  Prime  Minister,  which  were  enclosed  in 
a  wall  of  canvas.  Sir  Jung  took  leave,  and  returned  with  his  suite 
in  full  dress,  blazing  with  diamonds.  A  Durbar  was  held.  Sir  Jung 
delivered  a  Kureeta  from  the  Maharaja,  expressing  his  great 
pleasure  at  the  honor  of  the  Royal  visit  to  Nepal,  and  conveying 
assurances  of  his  attachment.  In  doing  so,  Sir  Jung  declared  for 
himself  he  never  could  sufficiently  acknowledge  the  kindness  he 
had  received  from  the  Queen,  the  Prince  Consort,  and  all  classes 
of  society  when  he  visited  England.  He  had  been  prevented 
by  an  accident  from  carrying  out  his  intention  to  pay  another 
visit  to  England,  but  he  still  cherished  the  hope.  The  Prince 
thanked  Sir  Jung  for  his  expressions  of  good-will.  Her  Majesty 
was  well  aware  of  the  services  rendered  by  Nepal,  and  felt  grate- 
ful for  them,  and  she  appreciated  highly  the  assistance  given  by 
the  troops  under  Sir  Jung  Bahadoor  on  an  important  occasion. 
Sir  Jung  Bahadoor  said  it  had  been  his  pride  and  happiness  to 
have  been  able  to  afford  the  help  which  had  been  so  highly  es- 


NEPALESE    CIVILITIES.  429 

teemed.  The  government  of  Nepal  had  done  what  it  could. 
Let  the  Prince  assure  the  Queen  that  if  ever  there  was  occasion, 
all  the  assistance  Nepal  could  render  would  be  cheerfully  given. 
The  Prince  paid  a  return  visit  to  Sir  Jung.  At  each  visit  or 
Durbar  there  were  presentations,  so  that  each  member  of  each 
suite  was  twice  introduced.  Two  caged  tigers  and  a  splendid 
collection  of  birds  were  offered  to  the  Prince.  Many  Impeyan 
pheasants  (which  the  Nepalese  call  "  duffa"),  and  argus  (which 
they  call  "  monal,  "  the  name  by  which  the  former  are  known  by 
us),  kaleege,  coqplass,  chickore,  jungle-fowl,  and  a  delightful 
little  elephant,  which  salaa  i.s  and  performs  many  tricks,  were 
also  presented. 

An  enormous  boa-constrictor  was  dug  out  of  a  hole  in  a  leth- 
argic state,  and  roused  by  buckets  of  water  poured  down  its 
throat.  It  was  18  feet  long,  as  thick  as  a  nine-pounder,  and 
seemed  an  amiable  reptile  ;  but  close  at  hand,  coiled  round  a 
branch  of  a  tree,  was  another  of  evil  disposition,  for  when  Sir 
Jung  Bahadoor  sent  a  man  to  cut  the  branch,  so  that  the  serpent 
fell  with  a  heavy  thud,  it  raised  its  head  and  moved  menacingly, 
as  if  to  attack  us,  but  eventually  coiled  itself  round,  and,  like  a 
true  philosopher,  went  to  sleep.  Some  Nepalese  soldiers  show- 
ed strength  and  skill  in  cutting  trees,  and  there  could  be  no 
doubt  of  their  power  and  skill  to  lop  off  heads  and  arms  with 
their  kookeries. 

Sir  Jung  visited  the  Prince  towards  the  close  of  dinner,  and 
proposed  the  health  of  the  Queen.  After  the  toast,  Sir  Jung 
proposed  the  health  of  the  prince,  and  said  that  "  it  was  felt  he 
had  clone  them  the  greatest  honor  in  coming  to  Nepal." 

We  know  very  little  of  Nepal.  There  is  no  good  map  of  the 
country ;  nor  will  there  be  any  till  a  few  engineers  throw  some 
light  on  the  darkness.  The  present  maps  are  specimens  of  what 
Colonel  Thuillier  would  style  conjectural  geography.  The  king- 
dom extends  for  500  miles  s.  E.  and  N.  w.  \  it  varies  from  70  to 
100  miles  in  breadth,  which  will  give  a  superficies  of  54,000 
'  square  miles.  The  population  is  estimated  at  2,000,000,  the  reve- 
nue at  i,ooo,ooo/.  The  army  consists  of  14,000  infantry,  420  guns, 


43°  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

of  which  six  batteries  are  horsed,  and  others  carried  by  coolies. 
There  is  a  handful  of  cavalry,  but  the  country  is  unsuitable  for 
horses. 

February  21. — 12.30  P.  M. — The  Prince  has  just  returned, 
having  killed  his  first  tiger  in  Nepal.  It  is  now  lying  stretched 
within  a  few  yards  of  my  tent,  and  a  lamb  might  play  with  it,  for 
there  are  in  his  body  three  wounds,  any  one  of  which  would  have 
been  mortal ;  his  eye,  which  I  saw  glaring  with  fire  some  minutes 
ago,  is  dull,  his  claws,  once  tremendous,  retracted  in  harmless 
sheaths.  What  number  of  elephants  and  men  were  engaged  in 
compassing  his  death  I  am  not  prepared  to  state  ;  but  I  know 
that  any  one  of  them,  brute  or  man,  would  have  been  sorry  to 
have  had  a  private  interview  with  that  mass  of  striped  skin  and 
inert  muscle  about  12  o'clock  to-day.  This  tiger  had  been 
marked  down  close  to  camp,  and  it  was  resolved  "  by  the  au- 
thorities" that  the  Prince's  first  day  in  Nepal  should  not  be  a 
blank.  Elephants  were  moored  to  blockade  him,  and  men  were 
stationed  to  keep  up  fires  at  night,  so  that  he  could  not  break 
through,  according  to  tiger  nature.  The  yells  of  the  jemadars— 
"  Roko  !  "  (Halt),  "  Chelo  !  "  (Go  on),  "  Baine-ko  !  "  (To  the  left), 
"  Dahine-ko ! "  (To  the  right)  —  the  blows  of  the  hircus — the  shouts 
of  mahouts— the  crashing  of  branches  above  and  sapling  below — 
made  the  forest  ring.  As  the  great  coil,  each  link  of  which  was  an 
elephant,  moved  on,  a  herd  of  deer,  of  confused  mass  of  antlers  and 
dappled  skins,  halted,  like  cavalry  brought  up  midway  in  a  furious 
charge.  Then,  taking  council  of  despair,  headed  by  a  timid 
dame,  they  charged  the  elephants,  which  actually  screamed  with 
terror,  and  turned  tail  as  the  cheetul  leaped  over  them.  In 
another  minute  a  tiger  appeared,  moving  in  an  easy  canter  across 
our  front,  at  a  distance  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  yards.  He 
was  growling  as  he  ran.  He  seemed  minded  to  go  at  the 
elephants,  but  he  changed  his  intention  of  a  sudden,  and  thought 
it  best  to  consider  the  situation  in  the  seclusion  of  a  small  natural 
shrubbery.  Into  this  he  dropped,  and  was  lost  to  view.  The 
elephants  closed  in  round  the  spot.  The  Prince  and  Sir  Jung 
appeared.  The  -tiger,  after  two  or  three  growls — the  bellow  of 


AN    ELEPHANTINE    PROCESSION.  43 1 

an  angry  bull  and  the  snarl  of  a  dog  commingled  —  leaped 
through  the  brushwood.  The  Prince  fired.  One  !  two !  The 
last  shot  turned  him.  He  rushed  into  the  covert.  His  side 
was  exposed  to  the  Prince.  The  next  report  of  the  rifle  was 
followed  by  a  yell  of  pain ;  the  tiger  raised  itself,  rolled  half 
over,  and  fell  as  the  second  barrel  sent  a  bullet  through  its  body. 
The  apparition  of  open  jaws  and  glaring  eyes  sank  clown  into 
the  grass,  which  waved  fitfully  to  and  fro  for  a  second  or  two  ; 
then  all  was  quiet.  There  was  the  usual  cautious  advance  of 
the  shikarries  ;  and,  looking  down  from  their  howdahs,  all  saw 
the  creature  stretched  out  dead.  He  was  a  full-grown  male,  9 
ft.  6  in.  long.  Had  he  not  been  stopped  just  at  the  right  moment 
he  would  certainly  have  been  "  on  "  to  a  man  or  an  elephant. 

The  afternoon's  sport  was  inaugurated  by  a  display  rarely 
given  to  any  one  to  witness — a  procession,  in  single,  file  of  700 
elephants.  The  Prince  sat  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour  watching 
the  column  cross  the  Sarcla.  To  each  elephant  there  were  at 
least  two  persons — the  mahout  and  a  man  on  the  pad  ;  several 
carried  three  or  four  people.  Unless  you  see  what  mountains 
of  sugar-cane  and  green  food  an  elephant  can  stuff  down  his 
throat,  you  can  form  no  idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  commissariat 
arrangements.  When  the  elephants  were  all  in  position,  they 
wore  ship  from  line  stem  and  stern  to  line  ahead,  and  began  to 
move  over  the  prairie. 

Tiger-talk  may  be  monotonous,  but  I  regret  very  much  that  I 
did  not  see  the  makingof  the  wonderful  "bag"  which  the  Prince 
brought  into  the  camp.  No  less  than  seven  tigers  fell  ;  of  these 
six,  including  that  in  the  forenoon,  were  shot  by  the  Prince. 
Five  were  killed  in  a  single  beat,  which  did  not  last  more  than 
an  hour.  The  Prince  killed  two  with  single  shots  ;  he  disposed 
of  three  tigers  in  two  or  more  shots  each,  and  one  was  accounted 
for  by  "  outsiders."  The  scene  of  slaughter  was  an  Island,  with 
sparse  forest  and  thick  jungle,  on  the  Sarda,  such  as  tigers  love. 
It  was  not  easy  for  eyes  unaccustomed  to  the  work  to  make  out 
tigers  in  the  grass.  The  Prince  steadily  refused  to  listen  to  ad- 
vice. "  Fire  just  before  you,  Sir  !  There  he  is  in  front  !  "  Hef 


432  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES'    TOUR. 

would  not  fire  at  an  object  he  did  not  see.  Once,  the  elephants 
being  close  alongside,  his  Royal  Highness  crossed  over  and  shot 
the  beast  from  Sir  Jung's  howdah.  When  three  or  four  tigers 
were  to  be  seen  like  so  many  cats  in  a  London  square,  it  was 
natural  that  sportsmen  should  feel  excited  ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
the  general  feeling  was  that  the  creatures  were  not  as  "game  " 
as  they  might  have  been.  An  old  hand  observed,  "  When  they 
have  seen  as  much  of  the  gentlemen  in  stripes  as  I  have  done, 
they  will  think  them  far  more  interesting  in  the  long  grass  than 
when  they  are  on  the  howdahs,  or  clawing  the  mahouts  off." 
The  Prince's  shooting  drew  forth  the  encomiums  of  the  great 
Nepalese  shikarry,  who  has  killed  to  his  own  rifle  more  than  550 
tigers,  and  who  hopes  to  score  at  least  600  before  he  quits  the 
field. 

One  of  the  beasts  which  perished  to  day — a  tigress,  fetid, 
lean,  and  hideous — was  not  content  with  deer ;  she  was  a  man- 
eater.  The  clothes  and  bones  were  found  near  the  spot  where 
the  murderess  met  her  doom.  It  is  generally  an  old  or  sickly 
tiger  which  takes  to  man  eating.  Too  slow  or  too  weak  to  run 
down  deer,  he  pounces  on  some  poor  wayfarer ;  and  once  he  has 
found  out  how  easy  a  prey  man  is,  never  tries  for  any  other  food. 
Another  had  killed  nine  bullocks  and  buffaloes  belonging  to  one 
village.  Is  it  not  a  comfort  to  feel  that  justice  is  overtaking  the 
creatures,  though,  as  they  are  cats  with  teeth,  claws,  and  stomachs, 
they  must  have  "  their  rats  and  mice  and  other  small  deer  ?  "  It 
will  be  many  a  long  year  before  Nepal  ceases  to  keep  up  a  breed 
of  tigers  ;  and  as  we  sit  at  dinner  news  comes  that  there  are 
some  not  very  far  off. 

February  22. — Close  to  the  river,  apart  from  his  fellows  and 
tended  by  a  few  chosen  followers,  lives  a  monster  of  force  and, 
if  one  is  to  believe  his  eye,  of  cruelty.  He  is  happily  restrained 
from  mischief  by  great  ropes  secured  round  his  legs  and  fastened 
to  the  trunks  of  large  teak-trees,  but  for  all  that  he  is  fenced  in 
and  guarded  sedulously.  His  head  is  painted  blood-color,  so  is 
his  neck  and  the  upper  part  of  his  body.  Two  small  furrows 
over  his  cheeks  marked  by  unholy  ichor  trickling  from  his  head, 


FIGHTING-ELEPHANTS. 


433 


show  that  he  is  "  must."  This  is  Jung  Pershaud,  the  champion 
elephant  of  the  Nepalese  woods.  There  are  Bijli  and  other 
famous  chiefs  in  camp,  but  none  equal  to  him.  They  are  kept 
to  engage  the  males  of  the  wild  herds.  The  first  day  we  entered 


CAMP-FIRE    IN    A    BANYAN    TOPE.      NEPALESE    BAND   PLAYING. 

Nepal  it  was  rumored  that  there  was  a  herd  not  far  distant,  and 
last  night  Sir  Jung  told  the  Prince  that  he  had  sent  out  his  fight- 
ing-elephants, and  hoped  to  let  him  see  the  sport.     Orders  were 
given  for  every  one  to  be  ready  next  morning  at  7  A.  M. 
19  28 


434  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

The  party,  led  by  Sir  Jung,  started  accordingly,  and  went 
full  speed  through  woods  and  swamps,  across  ravines  and  rivers, 
up  and  down  nullah-sides,  over  old  moraines,  crashing  through 
brake  and  copse  with  the  tumult  of  a  hurricane.  The  trained 
pads  are  urged  by  the  mahout,  and  by  a  man  who  hangs  on  by 
a  strap  behind  and  belabors  them  with  a  wooden  mallet,  and  go 
shuffling  along  at  the  rate  of  eight  miles  an  hour.  The  wild, 
unencumbered  with  mahouts  and  mallet-men,  are  faster  than  the 
domesticated  animals.  Excited  spies  came  galloping  down  the 
hillside  to  report  that  the  fighting-elephants  could  not  come  up 
with  the  fugitive.  After  two  hours'  full  cry — and  no  one  can 
imagine  what  music  the  yells  of  drivers,  the  shouts  of  the  leaders, 
the  trumpeting,  the  snapping  of  reeds  and  saplings,  and  the 
rushing  noise  through  swamp  and  grass  make — some  of  the 
elephants  showed  signs  of  distress,  and  many  were  far  behind. 
Sir  Jung  suggested  that  they  should  give  up — "  he  did  not  know 
whether  the  Prince  would  think  it  worth  while  to  go  on."  The 
Prince  decided  on  going  on,  and  away  they  went  once  more,  the 
fatigued  beasts  now  and  then  cooling  their  sides  and  expressing 
their  indignation  by  spouting  jets  of  water  from  their  proboscis 
over  their  backs,  careless  of  who  was  on  the  pad,  even  though  it 
were  the  Prince,  who  came  in  for  the  full  benefit  of  a  douche, 
till  at  last  a  second  halt  was  called.  It  was  noon.  In  a  few 
minutes  a  scout  came  up  with  news  that  the  wild  champion  was 
engaged  with  Jung  and  Bijli.  Sir  Jung,  in  trepidation,  came  up. 
"  You  must  mount  at  once  ;  the  herd  may  break  this  way,  and 
no  one's  life  is  safe."  The  Prince  was  now  twenty-five  miles 
from  camp,  and  it  was  impossible  to  witness  the  engagement. 
However,  on  the  way  they  came  on  the  conquered  beast  between 
its  captors,  his  legs  tied  together — with  downcast. ears,  drooping 
head  and  dejected  proboscis.  Before  the  morning  the  greater 
part  of  the  herd  were  taken. 

February  23  (dies  carbone  notandd). — The  Prince  had  a  long 
day,  and  killed  a  tigress  ;  its  cub  was  taken  alive.  A  word  anent 
my  own  misfortune.  I  was  posted  outside  a  jungle,  with  Mr. 
Kellett  on  one  side,  Mr.  Smith  on  the  other,  and  the  other  guns 


A    GOOD    BEGINNING.  435 

moving  up  towards  us.  The  day  was  hot,  the  flies  were  trouble- 
some, and  I  took  out  a  newspaper  and  began  to  read.  Suddenly, 
Lall  Si  115  cried,  "  Deko  !  Dekp  !  "  and  put  a  gun  into  my  hand 
just  as  the  elephant  made  a  quick  swerve,  and  there  cantered 
out  of  the  reeds,  within  fifteen  yards  of  me,  the  very  finest 
tiger  (of  course)  I  ever  saw.  He  was  in  a  hurry  and  in  a  rage 
too.  I  pulled  on  him.  Alas  !  the  stop  was  on.  By  the  time  I 
was  on  him  again  the  tiger  was  off  in  the  covert ;  but  I  cherished 
the  idea  I  had  hit  him.  There  was  a  general  search/but  he  was 
seen  no  more.  Every  one  said,  "  You  ought  to  have  killed  that 
tiger."  However,  I  have  seen  a  good  many  missed,  and  so 
fortify  my  spirits. 

February  24. — The  district  having  been  swept  clear  of  tigers, 
the  camp  was  struck  at  10  A.  M.,  and  was  transferred  to  a  "  lodge 
in  a  vast  wilderness,"  eight  miles  off,  called  Mahullea.  The 
Prince  started  with  Sir  Jung  for  a  wood  within  a  few  hundred 
yards  of  the  camp.  The  usual  tumult  began.  Presently  from 
the  right  came  a  few  clear  notes  from  a  bugle.  It  was  answered 
from  the  left.  "  Halt !  "  The  line  halted,  for  these  trained  corps 
are  regulated  like  an  army,  form  on  centre  or  flanks,  wheel  and 
turn  at  command.  There  was  a  movement  in  the  thick  grass, 
and  the  Prince  looking  down  could  see  something.  He  fired. 
The  grass  was  agitated.  He  fired  again,  and  all  was  still.  The 
elephants  closed  up.  There  lay  a  very  beautiful,  full  grown 
leopard,  dead,  killed  by  the  first  shot ;  the  second  was  sup- 
ererogatory. The  elephants  re-formed  and  closed,  until  a  shout 
announced  that  a  tiger  had  been  seen  in  a  piece  of  grass.  His 
Royal  Highness  fired  A  growl  from  the  grass  —  no  move- 
ment; another  shot  —  another  growl.  In  a  second  afterwards 
out  leaped  the  tigress,  to  the  great  discomfiture  of  the  ele- 
phants, which  flourished  their  trumpets,  and  behaved  as  saga- 
cious creatures  might  be  expected  to  do.  The  tigress  was  in 
her  hiding-place  again  in  an  instant ;  two  shots  fired  into  the 
grass  failed  to  displace  her.  She  relapsed  into  an  attitude  of 
expectancy,  and  would  not  stir.  In  vain  was  she  addressed 
in  bad  language  and  hooted  at.  An  elephant  was  ordered 


436  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

to  go  in  and  stamp  her  out :  he  declined.  To  show  that  he 
acted  on  principle,  he  took  a  sapling  and  snapped  it  right 
across  the  animal's  back.  She  only  growled.  Projectiles  were 
hurled  into  the  grass — oranges,  Taunus,  soda,  and  Apollinaris 
water  bottles.  Sir  Jung  seized  the  hunting-hat  of  the  Raja 
behind  him,  and  threw  it  at  the  tigress.  That  would  not  do,  so 
he  flung  his  own  pith  cap  on  the  animal's  head.  Out  she  came, 
clawed  her  way  through  the  convulsed  and  agitated  throng  of 
elephants,  and  made  off.  The  Prince  was  close  behind,  got  a 
good  view,  fired,  and,  struggling  convulsively,  the  tigress  expired. 
Thus  in  less  than  an  hour  a  leopard  and  tigress  were  killed  close 
to  our  camp  of  Mahullea. 

February  25. — To-clay  there  was  such  a  hunt  as  it  comes 
rarely  in  any  man's  lifetime  to  see  or  enjoy.  A  herd  of  wild 
elephants,  led  by  a  tusker  of  enormous  size,  strength,  and 
courage,  who  had  engaged  and  beaten  Sir  Jung's  best,  was  dis- 
covered in  the  forest  some  seven  miles  from  camp.  Sir  Jung 
vowed  they  should  be  his.  I  started  an  hour  or  two  before  the 
Prince  left  camp,  for  I  wished  to  ride  quietly  and  have  a  look 
about  me.  There  is  no  fear  of  losing  one's  way  in  the  forest. 
There  are  always  parties  of  soldiery  sent  in  advance.  There  is 
also  the  track  of  the  "  pads ;  "  but  it  can  be  followed  to  a  certain 
extent  only  by  a  horseman,  as  the  elephant  can  go  where  the 
horses  would  be  smothered,  swept  away,  or  pounded  hopelessly. 
I  overtook  Mr.  Simpson,  of  the  "  Illustrated  London  News," 
and  Mr.  Johnson,  of  the  "Graphic,"  on  the  same  elephant, 
proceeding  in  friendly  rivalry,  and  entered  a  forest  of  sal  and 
dak,  leafless,  but  glorious  with  scarlet  flowers.  After  an  hour 
and  a  half,  I  halted  beyond  the  dry  bed  of  a  stream  filled  with 
boulders.  In  a  few  minutes  afterwards  Sir  Jung  galloped  up 
with  the  Prince.  He  wore  a  quaint  jockey  cap  with  gold-laced 
peak,  a  suit  of  hemp  of  English  make,  and  a  pair  of  antigropelos, 
which  are  much  in  favor  among  the  Nepalese.  The  Prince  wore 
a  shooting-coat  of  the  color  which  tradition  says  was  the  favorite 
wear  of  the  hero  of  Killiecrankie,  boots,  and  breeches.  At  1 1 
o'clock  Sir  Jung  pulled  up  and  said  he  would  wait  for  news  of 


WAITING    FOR   THE    TUSKER.  437 

the  wild  herd,  which  could  not  be  very  far  off.  The  halt  afforded 
time  to  read  the  newspapers.  In  one  was  a/?//  d' esprit  which 
caused  some  amusement.  Sir  Jung  desired  to  have  the  joke 
explained  ;  and  his  secretary,  paper  in  hand,  with  an  assiduity 
which  was  scarcely  attended  by  the  success  it  deserved,  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  or  more  sought  to  thrash  out  the  fun  of  the 
four  lines  of  English  into  choice  Hindee.  Sir  Jung's  face 
became  graver  and  graver ;  at  last  he  gave  it  up. 

Up  came  a  Ghoorka  hunter  with  full  particulars.  The 
indomitable  tusker  was  covering  the  retreat  of  the  ladies  of  his 
family  to  a  pass  a  few  miles  ahead.  Jung  called  to  horse  at 
once,  leading  at  a  hand-gallop  through  the  "glades,"  like  the 
wild  huntsman  of  the  German  song ;  but  it  was  by  no  means 
"  over  the  downs  so  free  " — for  there  were  too  many  "  ups  " — 
river-beds,  boulder-beset,  steep-banked,  and  besnagged  by  giant 
stumps.  The  horses  seemed  to  know  what  was  required  of  them. 
All  that  was  needed  was  to  look  out  sharp  for  the  "  checks," 
which,  to  horsemen  riding  hard  in  file,  with  excited  horses,  were 
much  to  be  deprecated.  It  was  a  relief  to  come  to  a  stream,  so 
rocky-bedded,  deep,  and  "ugly,"  that  some  dismounted,  and  all 
had  to  pull  up.  When  all  were  on  the  other  side,  Sir  Jung 
turned  up  the  left  bank  for  a  few  hundred  yards.  The  horses 
were  given  over  to  the  syces.  The  party  proceeded  up  the  river- 
bed till  they  reached  a  very  steep  bank,  up  which  Sir  Jung 
climbed,  followed  by  the  Prince.  The  river  flowed  out  of  a 
deep  valley  close  at  hand.  It  was  down  this  gorge  the  tusker 
was  expected  to  come.  A  screen  was  made  by  the  Ghoorkas 
with  their  kookeries.  Down  in  the  gorge  below  us  the  wild 
tusker  ought  to  encounter  the  redoubtable  warriors  who  were 
hastening  up.  Every  eye  was  turned  towards  the  glen.  The 
stalls  and  boxes  were  filled,  the  theatre  was  ready,  but  the  actors 
did  not  appear.  Sir  Jung  became  impatient,  jumped  on  the  back 
of  one  of  the  Nepalese,  and  with  two  men  at  the  side  of  his 
"  mount,"  to  steady  him,  was  borne  down  the  rocks,  over  the 
river-bed,  and  up  the  hill  on  the  opposite  side  by  his  roadster,  at 
a  wonderful  pace — certainly  six  miles  an  hour.  He  was  lost  to 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

sight  ere  one  could  finish  a  comfortable  laugh.  In  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  he  appeared,  urging  his  bounding  biped  on  his  mad 
career.  The  wild  tusker  was  making  for  the  pass  in  which  we 
had  halted  when  the  joke  was  not  explained.  All  that  remained 
for  it  was  to  ride  with  all  speed  to  the  place  we  had  left.  The 
harder  Sir  Jung  rode  the  better  spirits  every  one  was  in  and  the 
better  the  horses  went.  How  it  was  no  one  came  to  grief  is  not 
to  be  understood.  The  old  halting-place  —  a  moraine — was 
reached,  and  all  dismounted.  Scouts  were  sent  out,  and  it  was 
proposed  that  lunch  should  be  eaten.  But,  lo  !  Sir  Jung  inter- 
rupted the  hasty  meal.  "  We  are  dead  men  if  the  elephants 
break  down  upon  us.  We  must  all  get  into  trees."  "  But  the 
horses  ? "  "  They  must  do  the  best  they  can.  God  will  take 
care  of  them."  He  was  in  earnest,  and  in  evident  alarm,  and 
there  was  no  time  to  inquire  into  the  reasons  he  had  for  sup- 
posing that  horses  would  be  more  favored  by  Providence  than 
their  riders.  The  Prince,  who  laughed  at  the  idea  of  a  tree  at 
first,  was  persuaded  to  yield.  Close  at  hand  was  a  fine  banyan, 
with  spreading  branches  ;  and  on  these,  some  thirty  feet  above, 
the  Nepalese  constructed  a  perch  with  their  kookeries.  The 
Prince  clambered  up  to  this  stage ;  Lord  A.  Paget,  magnd  ad- 
juvante-caterva,  followed.  Prince  Louis  of  Battenberg,  whose 
arm  was  still  in  a  sling,  shared  a  fork  lower  down  with  me.  It 
was  wonderful  to  witness  the  agility  and  accrochant  powers  of  the 
suite.  But  this  display  of  latent  talent  and  physical  force  went 
for  nothing.  The  elephants  did  not  come.  The  tusker  had 
gone  clear  away  through  the  forest  between  our  roosting-place 
and  the  camp. 

Sir  Jung's  face  was  a  picture  to  see,  and  if  looks  could  kill, 
the  fugitive  was  a  dead  elephant.  "  Call  up  the  pads.  Let  the 
Prince  mount  at  once,"  he  exclaimed.  But  his  Royal  Highness 
expressed  a  wish  to  ride,  and  thereby  secured  the  success  of  the 
day  ;  for  there  can  be  no  doubt  it  was  only  the  speed  of  the 
horses  which  enabled  the  party  to  come  up  with  the  runaway  and 
bring  him  to  bay ;  and,  finally — but  I  anticipate.  If  Sir  Jung 
rode  before,  he  flew  now.  It  is  wonderful  how  we  got  through 


IN    PURSUIT    OF   THE   TUSKER.  439 

that  gallop ;  for,  to  the  difficulties  of  the  nature  already  men- 
tioned to  be  negotiated,  there  was  added  the  violent  shying  of 
the  horses  at  the  trumpeting  pads.  In  ten  minutes  there  was  an 
awful  clamor  on  our  flank.  Hundreds  of  pads,  with  mahouts 
and  mallet-men,  }elling  like  maniacs,  passed  at  full  speed  in  a 
succession  of  brown  waves  through  the  glade.  The  trackers  had 
hit  off  the  spot  where  the  tusker  had  passed.  They  were  in  full 
pursuit.  Sir  Jung  turned  towards  the  plain.  When  the  horse- 
men reached  the  verge  of  the  forest,  they  saw  before  them,  in  a 
plain  of  high  grass,  a  huge  brown  back,  borne  along  on  visible 
legs,  reminding  one  very  much  of  a  half-submerged  whale  cleav- 
ing its  way  in  a  placid  sea.  The  cheer  that  burst  forth — a  joy- 
ous English  hunting  "Tally-ho!"  "  Hark-forward  !"  —  was 
such  as  was  never  heard  before,  and  will  probably  never  be  heard 
again,  in  Nepalese  jungle.  The  cry  took  the  hunted  elephant 
aback.  He  paused,  raised  his  proboscis  inquiringly,  looked 
round  with  an  air  as  of  one  who  would  say,  "  What  manner  of 
men  be  these  ? "  then,  after  a  brief  survey,  he  resumed  his 
course  for  the  swamp.  The  instant  the  elephant  stopped,  Sir 
Jung  shouted,  "  Shahzadah  !  Take  care  !  Look  out,  all  of 
you  !  You  must  not  go  near  him !  In  that  long  grass  you 
have  no  chance  of  getting  away !  "  But  when  he  saw  the  ele- 
phant was  moving  away,  he  clapped  spurs  to  his  horse  and, 
keeping  outside  the  thick  grass,  galloped -in  a  line  parallel  to 
the  course  of  the  beast.  Away  went  the  Prince,  away  went 
every  one,  ventre  a  terre,  with  a  "  Hark-forward  !  "  that  made  the 
woods  echo.  Very  soon  the  horsemen  were  careering  in  front  of 
the  monster,  on  a  piece  of  burnt  prairie,  where  the  reeds  were  so 
thick  and  stiff  as  almost  to  force  one's  foot  out  of  the  stirrup. 
It  could  be  seen  that  he  was  sore  distressed.  He  had  been  on 
the  move  incessantly  from  dawn  ;  had  travelled  over  mountain 
and  valley;  had  no  time  to  rest  or  to  eat ;  his  sides  were  heaving, 
his  gait  was  heavy,  he  tossed  his  head  wearily  from  side  to  side, 
showing  one,  and  but  one,  very  large  tusk  and  the  stump  of  an- 
other. But  he  was  tremendous  in  bulk  and  stature.  He  came  on, 
bigger  and  bigger  as  he  loomed  above  the  cleared  space.  Then, 


44°  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

proboscis  extended,  his  tail  straight  out,  he  stood  and  looked 
around  ;  suddenly  uttering  a  shrill  cry,  he  made  a  run  at  the 
horsemen,  who  were  circling  before  him.  There  was  something 
so  ludicrous  in  the  gait  and  attitude  of  the  charging  elephant 
that  every  one,  as  he  bent  down  on  his  saddle  and  rode  literally 
for  his  life,  burst  out'  laughing — all  except  Sir  Jung,  who,  with 
one  eye  over  his  shoulder,  kept  calling  out,  "  Look  out,  Prince  ! 
Take  care,  Prince  !  "  ("  Shahzadah  !  Kuberdar  !  ")  But  though 
the  speed  at  which  his  strange  shambling  shuffle  carried  him 
along  was  extraordinary,  the  beast  was  much  too  fatigued  to  con- 
tinue it  very  long.  He  halted,  blew  a  note  of  rage,  swaying  his 
head  to  and  fro,  and  flapping  his  ears.  It  was  of  the  utmost  con- 
sequence to  keep  him  in  the  open,  and  take  as  much  out  of  him 
as  possible,  till  the  fighting-elephants  could  come  up.  In  a 
moment  the  horsemen  wheeled  and  swept  round  him,  Sir  Jung 
shaking  his  fist  and  using  the  most  opprobrious  terms  to  the  in- 
dignant animal.  Down  went  his  head,  up  went  proboscis  and 
tail  once  more.  This  time  he  turned  straight  on  the  Prince,  who 
was  shaking  with  laughter  as  he  put  his  horse — a  splendid  Arab 
— to  his  top  speed.  Fast  as  he  went,  the  terrible  proboscis  was 
not  many  yards  behind  him  for  a  second  or  two  ;  but  the  pace 
was  too  great  to  last.  The  horses  evidently  had  the  pull  in  this 
ground  ;  and  there  was  nothing  to  fear  but  a  fall  or  stumble,  and 
then — well — "  nothing  can  save  you  !  "  Over  and  over  again 
the  bold  attack  and  precipitate  flight  were  repeated.  It  was  now 
Mr.  Rose,  now  Lord  Surfield,  now  Lord  Carington,  who  was 
singled  out,  as  one  happened  to  be  nearest.  All  the  party  had 
the  honor  of  a  run  in  turn.  Lord  Alfred  Pag-^t  *  and  Lord  C. 
Beresford,  who  had  remained  on  pad  elephants,  not  expecting 
such  a  finish  to  the  day,  were  out  of  the  hunt ;  and  Prince  Louis 
of  "^  .ctenberg  had  given  a  jag  to  his  broken  collar-bone,  and 
was  returning  to  camp. 

All  this  time  we  were  expecting  the  champions  ;  we  were  but 
the  velites  engaging  the  enemy  till  the  solid  infantry  could  come 

*  I  am  told  Lord  A  Paget,  mounted  on  a  pad  elephant,  had  an  excellent 
view  of  the  whole  scene. 


THE   TERRIBLE    PROBOSCIS.  44! 

up.  Repeated  messengers  were  despatched  to  hasten  the  fight- 
ing-elephants ;  but  the  redoubtable  Jung  Pershaud  was  rather 
done  about  the  legs,  as  is  the  manner  of  giants,  and  could  not 
travel  fast,  and  Bijli  Pershaud  was  far  in  the  rear.  The  hunted 
elephant,  either  too  much  fatigued  to  charge  his  persecutors  any 
more,  or  having  duly  reflected  on  the  best  course  to  pursue,  now 
set  off  at  a  quick  walk  in  the  direction  of  the  marsh  from  which 
it  was  above  all  things  desirable  to  keep  him.  In  vain  the  horse- 
men capered  in  front  of  him,  rode  up  to  his  flanks,  and  passed 
within  switch  of  his  tail.  On  he  went,  like  a  porpoise  through  a 
shoal  of  herrings,  sweeping  his  proboscis  right  and  left.  It  was 
exciting  to  be  able  to  get  so  close  to  him  ;  it  was  irritating  to  be 
so  powerless  to  control  his  course  or  divert  him  from  his  pur- 
pose. Nearer  and  nearer  loomed  the  tall  rushes,  the  waving 
reeds,  the  long  feathery  grass  of  the  swamp.  "  He  will  escape* 
by  Jove !  Can  nothing  be  done  ?  Where  are  those  wretched 
elephants?"  The  Prince,  Sir  Jung,  all  make  a  final  and  close 
attack ;  but  he  is  not  to  be  led  away.  He  enters  the  swamp, 
the  rushes  and  tall  reeds  close  behind  him  ;  he  is  lost  to  sight. 
There  is  an  exclamation  of  something  more  than  disappoint- 
ment ;  but  Sir  Jung  says  calmly,  "  We  are  sure  of  him  when 
Jung  Pershaud  comes  up.  That  fellow  will  not  go  far  ;  he  can- 
not leave  the  marsh."  There  was  a  belt  of  trees  close  at  hand. 
All  sat  down  in  the  shade.  A  Nepalese  was  sent  up  a  tall  tree. 
"  He  sees  the  elephant,"  said  Sir  Jung.  "  The  haramzadah  is 
in  a  pool,  splashing  and  cooling  himself.  It  is  as  I  expected." 
As  the  champions  who  are  coming  down  have  names,  and 
"  haramzadah"  is  not  a  nice  one,  I  shall  call  the  runagate  Miser- 
rimus. 

Half  an  hour  and  more  passed.  All  this  time  the  army  of 
pad  elephants  had  been  rounding  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  and 
we  could  see  them  draw  up  in  a  dense  living  barrier.  Sir  Jung 
sent  off  an  aide-de-camp  every  five  minutes.  "  He  will  quite  re- 
cover," said  Sir  Jung,  "  if  this  goes  on,  and  be  able  to  fight  his 
way  out,  perhaps ! "  At  last  a  bell,  like  that  of  a  town-crier, 
was  heard  ringing  from  afar.  There  was  a  joyous  cry,  "Jung 
19* 


442  THE    PRINCE    OF   WALES     TOUR. 

Pershaud  is  coming  !  "  The  head  of  the  great  brute,  painted  a 
bright  red,  came  in  sight  above  the  reeds.  He  was  plodding 
heavily  along,  but  with  an  evident  air  of  business  about  him  ; 
and,  as  if  he  had  to  keep  an  appointment  with  his  antagonist  in 
that  precise  spot,  he  went  straight  into  the  swamp.  When  Mis- 
errimus  heard  the  strange  clang  of  the  bell  swinging  from  Jung 
Pershaud's  neck  coming  down  on  him,  he  slowly  turned  and 
swept  away  the  reeds  with  his  proboscis,  so  as  to  get  a  clearer 
view.  Miserrimus  had  only  one  tusk  and  the  stump  of  another ; 
but  his  perfect  tusk  was  a  beauty,  and  it  ended  in  a  very  fine 
point.  This  he  lowered,  as  if  to  receive  cavalry.  Jung  did  not 
give  Miserrimus  much  time  for  reflection.  He  was  a  trained 
bruiser,  and  he  was  larger  than  the  other,  big  as  he  was.  Jung, 
moreover,  had  two  very  strong  tusks,  cut  short,  indeed,  but  still 
*4  ft.  or  5  ft.  long,  and  bound  round  with  brass  rings  to  prevent 
fracture.  Jung,  raising  his  proboscis  with  a  flourish,  ran  in,  and 
when  within  a  foot  of  his  enemy's  weapon  swerved  a  little,  and 
gave  him  what  I  can  only  term  "  a  clout  "  on  the  side  of  the 
head.  Miserrimus  turned  a  little  to  get  his  sole  tusk  to  bear. 
Jung,  passing  on  towards  his  quarter,  gave  him  a  ram  right  on 
the  beam,  which  fairly  "  reeled  "•  him  half  over.  The  thud  was 
like  a  stroke  on  the  big  drum  in  a  silent  theatre.  It  was  followed 
by  a  fearful,  battering,  ram  in  the  quarter  gallery.  That  was 
enough  for  Miserrimus.  "  There's  more,"  quoth  he  to  himself, 
"  where  that  came  from  ; "  and  as  Jung  drew  back  to  administer 
ram  No.  3,  his  antagonist  fairly  bolted,  and,  with  unexpected 
nimbleness,  set  out  for  the  open  country,  leaving  Jung  to  beat 
the  empty  air.  Miserrimus  had  evidently  mastered  the  situation. 
"  This  trained  assassin  is  bigger  and  stronger  than  I  am,  but  I 
am  more  fleet  of  foot.  I  am  refreshed  by  my  bath,  and  I'll 
make  for  the  forest,  where  horses  cannot  follow  me.  As  for 
these  pads — disgraceful  females — I'll  sweep  them  away  like 
flies."  Thus  meditating,  he  received  a  dig  in  the  stern  from 
Jung  Pershaud,  which  nearly  sent  him  on  his  wise  head,  and 
quickened  the  resolve.  There  was  a  tremendous  squelching  in 
the  grass,  and  in  a  minute  more  Miserrimus  came  out,  heading 


THE    "  LIGHTNING        CONQUEROR.  443 

for  the  wooded  ridge.  As  he  calculated,  the  pads  and  smaller 
fighting-elephants  turned  in  the  most  abject  terror.  Jung  made 
one  more  strenuous  attempt  to  engage  him,  but  Miserrimus  was 
at  least  two  knots  faster;  he  slipped  into  the  very  wood  in  which 
we  were,  long  before  .the  other  could  reach  it. 

Horsemen  in  a  forest  have  no  chance  of  escaping  an  elephant. 
Sir  Jung's  anxiety  was  intense.  "  Don't  go  near  him  !  Keep 
him  in  view,  that  is  all  !  "  It  was  marvellous  to  see  how  the 
elephant,  resistless  as  fate,  crashed  along,  only  turning  for  the 
larger  trees.  Miserrimus  continued  his  career  till  he  reached  a 
small  stream,  and  saw  he  would  have  to  cross  some  open  ground 
before  he  could  reach  the  great  forest.  All  our  hope  now  was 
in  Bijli  Pershaud — the  "  Lightning "  conqueror.  The  Prince 
had  ridden  out  of  the  belt,  expecting  to  see  the  fight  renewed 
outside,  and  I  was  following,  when  I  saw  Sir  Jung  riding  among 
the  trees  as  fast  as  he  could  manage  it,  with  Mr.  Girdlestone's 
Arab  horse-breaker  "  Bill  "  and  Captain  Grant  after  him.  On 
the  skirts  of  the  wood  was  a  deep,  ditch-like  stream.  Sir  Jung 
went  at  it  and  cleared  the  brook,  but  the  horse  very  near  lost 
his  balance  and  slipped  in.  "  Bill "  sailed  across  like  a  bird. 
Captain  Grant  was  over  at  the  same  moment ;  I  was  obliged  to 
go  a  little  higher  up.  The  horse  breasted  the  bank,  and  sent 
me  skimming  gracefully  along  the  ground  on  the  other  side ; 
but  as  my  Arab  did  not  attempt  to  run  away,  I  was  enabled  to 
mount,  thanks  to  Captain  Grant,  and  follow  my  leader.  I  was 
surprised  to  see  Sir  Jung  suddenly  pull  up  outside  the  forest, 
shake  his  fist,  and  hear  him  pour  out  a  volley  of  invective  on 
some  one  inside.  "  He  is  abusing  the  elephant,"  said  Captain 
Grant.  "  He  is  insulting  his  female  relations,  and  calling  him 
every  name  in  the  world  !  "  And  there,  sure  enough,  standing 
against  a  tree,  was  Miserrimus  listening  intently  to  Sir  Jung,  as 
if  he  were  taking  notes  for  an  action  of  defamation.  There 
were  only  the  four  of  us.  Whether  he  thought  he  could  finish 
the  little  lot  off-hand,  or  that  his  feelings  were  roused  to  mad- 
ness by  a  remark  affecting  the  reputation  of  his  deceased  mother, 
I  cannot  say  ;  but  without  sound  or  note  of  warning,  like  a  house 


444  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

undermined  by  a  flood,  he  plunged  into  the  stream,  and  was  at 
us  in  a  moment.  At  this  supreme  moment  Bijli  Pershaud 
emerged  from  the  covert  a  few  yards  away.  Not  so  large  as  Jung 
Pershaud,  but  comparatively  fresh,  and  of  great  courage.  Mis- 
errimus  saw  his  new  antagonist.  He  halted.  "  Fly  from  him  ! 
never !  "  So  he  set  his  fore  legs  a  little  apart,  lowered  his  head 
and  prepared  for  battle.  Rash  and  ridiculous  .Miserrimus ! 
You  are  doomed.  Bijli  came  on  at  full  speed,  and  the  two  met 
with  what  ought  to  have  been  concussion  of  brains  and  smashes 
of  frontal  bones.  It  was  a  terrific  encounter.  Bijli  was  the 
quickest.  Whether  he  was  aided  by  the  craft  of  man  on  his 
back  or  not,  he  delivered  a  tremendous  blow  on  the  port  bow 
of  Miserrimus  which  shook  him  from  stem  to  stern,  and  seemed 
to  spring  a  leak.  Still  Miserrimus  tried  to  find  sea-room  for  . 
run,  but  Bijli  had  fairly  "got  him  "  now  on  his  flank  and  kept  to 
it.  When  Miserrimus  ran,  Bijli  ran  too,  and,  being  faster,  was 
always  able  to  resume  his  station  on  the  beam,  and  ram  him 
before  he  could  tack  or  wear.  The  Prince  came  in  time  to  see 
the  final  defeat  of  Miserrimus,  who,  after  several  rallies,  had 
just  been  caught  en  flagrant  delit  close  to  a  tree.  Bijli  gave  him 
a  ram  against  it,  which  made  the  branches  quiver.  This  was 
repeated.  Miserrimrfs  seemed  quite  stupefied.  The  attendants 
of  the  small  fighting-beasts,  who  had  now  come  up,  passed  a 
turn  of  rope  round  *his  hind  leg,  while  Bijli  sought  to  engage 
his  attention  by  giving  him  resonant  whacks  over  the  head  and 
eyes  with  his  trunk.  But  Miserrimus  felt  the  rope  and  broke 
away  before  it  could  be  secured.  He  ran  once  more,  followed 
by  the  relentless  Bijli,  pursued  by  the  small  fighting-beasts,  and 
encircled  by  a  cloud  of  horsemen.  It  was  almost  his  last  effort. 
Bijli  gave  him  a  stupendous  and  crashing  ram  in  the  quarter, 
which  nearly  sent  him  over.  Then,  and  then  only,  poor  Miser- 
rimus said,  as  plainly  as  elephant  could  say  it,  "  I  give  in  !  " 
There  must  be  some  elephant  language  as  plain  as  any  spoken 
words.  He  dropped  his  proboscis,  as  a  vanquished  knight 
lowers  his  sword  point,  blew  a  feeble  tootle  of  a  trumpet,  full  of 
despondency — a  cry  for  mercy — and  stood  screening  his  shame 


"GUI    LUMEN    ADEMPTUM.  445 

with  his  huge  ears.  Bijli  accepted  the  surrender  on  the  in- 
stant. He  approached  in  a  fondling  sort  of  way,  wound  his 
proboscis  round  the  captive's  neck,  and,  I  daresay,  compli- 
mented him  on  his  very  handsome  resistance.  li  But,  after 
all,  Miserrimus,  the  odds  were  against  you.  There  was  old 
Jung  Pershaud,  and  you  beat  him,  and  did  veiy  well ;  but  I  am 
'  Bijli,'  you  know  !  "  As  Miserrimus  was  thinking  what  answer  to 
make  to  these  compliments,  the  knaves  with  the  ropes  were  at 
work  again,  and  this  time  they  made  good  their  knot.  He,  how- 
ever, gave  a  tottering  run,  which  put  the  horsemen  to  flight,  but 
there  was  no  chance — a  great  rope  trailing  behind  him,  Bijli  and 
four  fighting-elephants  beating  him  over  the  head,  and  battering 
his  poor  sides  !  Miserrimus  stood  still.  Bijli  stood  before  him, 
two  elephants  patted  him  with  their  trunks,  and  jammed  him 
between  them  on  each  side  till  a  rope  was  made  fast  to  the  other 
hind  leg,  and  both  were  secured.  He  was  now  regularly  taken 
into  custody.  The  deed  was  done,  and  the  brave  and  chivalrous 
old  warrior  was  beaten  to  his  knee.  And  lo !  it  was  then  dis- 
covered that  Miserrimus  was  blind  of  an  eye.  He  had,  no 
doubt,  lost  it  in  the  same  fight  in  which  his  tusk  had  been  broken 
off.  Bijli  had  got  at  the  blind  side  of  Miserrimus.  When  this 
discovery  was  made,  there  was  pity  for  Belisarius,  and  Sir  Jung 
said,  "  I  will  let  him  go  if  the  Prince  expresses  a  wish  that  he 
should  be  set  at  liberty,  but  I  hope  to  be  Allowed  to  offer  his 
Royal  Highness  the  tusk."  The  Prince  at  once  demanded 
grace  for  the  captive,  and  he  was  led  away  to  a  great  tree,  where 
he  was  moored  by  a  veritable  cable  ;  but  he  made  one  great 
effort  to  get  away,  and  strained  the  tree  to  its  summit  ere  he 
submitted.  The  cruel  ropes,  not  as  they  always  do  for  the  good 
ship  at  sea,  held  fast.  Then  he  uttered  one  very  bitter  cry.  It 
is  said  that  his  wives  answered  him  from  afar,  but  for  this  I 
cannot  vouch.  There  he  stood,  sullen  and  silent,  rejecting  with 
scorn  the  sugar-cane  held  out  at  arm's-length  of  his  proboscis. 
Next  morning  Miserrimus  was  set  free,  and  went  off  in  search 
of  his  family,  who  treated  him,  I  hope,  with  the  respect  due  to 
the  brave  and  unfortunate.  When  Sir  Jung  came  over  to  the 


446  >*.THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

Prince's  camp-fire  that  night,  he  was  accompanied  by  men 
bearing  the  beautiful  tusk,  which  had  been  sawn  off  soon  after 
we  left.  So  ended  the  elephant  hunt,  which  was  perhaps  the 
"  best  day  "  in  India. 

February  26. — There  were  two  beats  marked  out,  but  the 
Prince  returned  without  having  had  any  sport,  though  led  by 
Sir  Jung  himself.  The  camp  elephants  and  camels  had  got  on 
the  ground  and  spoilt  the  shooting.  The  second  party  which 
went  out  for  general  shooting,  in  charge  of  Mr.  Moore,  Magis- 
trate of  Bareilly,  beating  across  a  grassy  plain,  came  upon  a  fine 
tiger,  which  Mr.  Moore  fired  at  and  hit.  The  tiger  sprang  on 
the  elephant  of  Mr.  Robinson,  placing  one  claw  on  the  rifle,  so 
that  he  could  not  fire,  and  tearing  the  mahout's  leg.  The 
elephant  swung  around,  the  tiger  fell  off,  but  sprang  at  the 
elephant  again  and  clawed  it  cruelly.  It  then  leaped  on  the 
mahout  of  the  elephant  carrying  Colonel  Ellis,  and  was  tearing 
him  down  when  Colonel  Ellis,  leaning  down  over  the  hovvdah, 
fired  his  rifle,  and  the  tiger  dropped,  but  not  till  it  had  lacerated 
the  elephant's  ear  and  the  man's  knee  and  leg.  Surgeon  Kellett 
dressed  the  men's  wounds,  and  the  injured  mahouts  and  ele- 
phants were  sent  back  to  camp.  Half  an  hour  afterwards  an- 
other fine  tiger  was  started,  and  killed  in  the  open  by  a  general 
volley,  so  that  this  was  a  great  day  for  the  outsiders,  who  had 
never  expected  such  good  fortune. 

February  27. — Mr.  Robinson,  none  the  worse  for  his  tiger 
scare  yesterday,  read  service.  In  the  afternoon  Sir  Jung  obtained 
the  Prince's  assent  to  display  his  army.  The  advance  guard  was 
composed  of  some  dozen  Lancers,  well  mounted,  and  dressed 
like  our  own  native  cavalry,  Nepalese  cap  and  crescent  instead 
of  turbans.  Then  a  battery  of  six  four-pounder  brass  guns. 
Each  gun  was  slung  on  two  bamboos,  carried  by  ten  men — four 
and  six — muzzle  and  breach.  Each  limber  was  carried  by 
twelve  men,  two  men  carried  the  ammunition  in  leathern  cases 
on  their  backs.  There  were  five  artillerymen  to  each  gun.  In 
less  than  a  minute  the  battery  was  in  action  ;  in  a  minute  it  was 
out  of  action,  in  retreat.  Then  the  battery  was  halted,  counter- 


BALLET-DRILL.  ^  447 

marched,  advanced.  "  Halt !  action  !  front  !  "  These  lascars 
could  get  a  battery  over  ground  which  would  beat  mules.  The 
Rifle  battalion,  tall  men  in  red  tunics,  like  those  of  the  British 
infantry,  dark-blue  facings  and  white  braid,  dark-blue  trousers 
\vith  red  cloth  stripe,  dark  green  Ghoorka  cap  with  white  circular 
roll  round  it,  the  badge  (inverted  crescent  and  sun)  in  front,  and 
a  chain  of  German  silver  on  the  upper  part  of  the  arm  to  the 
shoulder-strap.  They  were  armed  with  muzzle-loading  rifles, 
like  our  old  Tower  Minies,  made  in  Nepal ;  and  in  addition  to 
the  bayonet,  carried  the  national  kookery.  The  battalion  went 
through  the  ordinary  exercise  to  English  words  of  command. 
When  all  appeared  to  be  over,  the  band  struck  up  a  polka,  and 
the  whole  battalion,  moving  at  every  bar  from  left  to  right  and 
right  to  left,  began  the  manual  a*nd  platoon  exercise,  words  of 
command  being  supposed  to  be  given  by  bars  at  regular  in- 
tervals, the  oscillating  movement  being  all  the  while  maintained. 
The  pains — in  more  senses  than  one — that  battalion  endured  to 
learn  this  exercise  can  scarcely  be  comprehended.  Only  a 
ballet-master  could  give  due  credit  to  the  performers.  The 
battalion,  in  open  order,  next  went  through  the  bayonet  exercise 
to  the  same  polka,  swaying  as  at  the  beginning,  in  accord  with 
the  music. 

There  was  then  a  grand  march-past,  the  Prince  taking  the 
salute.  The  band  played  "  God  save  the  Queen  "  and  "  God 
bless  the  Prince  of  Wales."  It  was  altogether  curious — the 
Heir-Apparent,  in  shooting-dress,  in  the  midst  of  the  Nepalese 
Terai,  facing  a  regiment  in  which,  if  I  am  not  misinformed,  there 
was  more  than  one  real  Pandy  who  burnt  powder  against  us  in 
1857-58- 

February  28. — The  camp  was  raised  to-day,  and  the  party 
shot  across  country  to  the  site  of  the  encampment  called  Mooza 
Panee.  The  sport  was  excellent  No  less  than  four  tigers  fell. 
The  Prince  got  one  tiger,  one  boar,  &c.  ;  Lord  Suffield  got  one 
tiger  (a  very  aged  and  worn-looking  fellow,  whose  appearance 
gave  rise  to  suspicions) ;  Lord  A.  Paget  got  one  tiger  (7  feet  4 
in.),  and  Mr.  Rose  one  tiger.  In  the  general  battue  one  of  the 


448  -«*THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'  TOUR. 

beasts  sprang  on  the  Prince's  elephant,  and  tore  the  cloth  on 
which  the  howdah  rested,  coining  very  close  to  Peter  Robertson. 
Another  tiger  escaped  owing  to  a  diversion  made  by  a  swarm  of 
bees,  which  made  a  most  savage  attack  on  the  party  at  a  very 
critical  moment,  and  stung  the  Prince  very  severely.  The 
general  destruction  of  cheetul,  pig,  &c.,  was  very  great,  and 
Mooza  Panee  proved  to  be  an  excellent  shooting  station. 

February  29.  —  Shrove  Tuesday.  We  are  moving  to  the 
sanctum  sanctorum,  Bahminie  Tal,  the  private  and  peculiar 
preserve  of  Sir  Jung.  The  forests  were  set  blazing,  and  in  all 
directions,  to  keep  the  game  in  ;  the  air  was  filled  with  volumes 
or  black  smoke.  This  succeeded  very  well,  and  the  sport  was 
admirable  as  soon  as  the  hunters  got  to  their  beat.  The  angle 
of  the  Nepalese  Terai  formed  by  the  bend  of  the  Sarda  is 
covered  with  forest,  swamps,  and  prairies,  and  is  specially 
reserved  for  tigers,  one  reason  being  that  men  and  women  can- 
not, or,  at  least,  believe  they  cannot,  live  there  as  soon  as  the 
unhealthy  season  begins.  In  Kumaoun  and  in  Rohilcund  Terai 
there  is  too  much  progress  to  favor  the  increase  of  tigers,  and 
the  Prince,  when  thanking  General  Ramsay,  comforted  him  by 
observing  that  he  knew  the  country  was  improving,  and  that  it 
was  not  to  be  expected  tigers  could  thrive  there  as  well  as  men. 
Among  other  spoils,  the  Prince  killed  a  curious  maned  tiger, 
said  to  be  peculiar  to  Nepal.  There  was  a  heavy  bag  brought 
to  the  new  camp. 

March  i. — Sir  Jung  was  unable  to  accompany  the  Prince  on 
account  of  illness,  but  the  sport  was  good  and  the  ground  abound- 
ed in  game.  "  Flies  !  "  There  never  was  anything  like  them  in 
the  jungle  hereabouts,  not  in  Egypt  at  its  worst !  I  begin  to  pity 
the  tigers,  which  are  driven  out  of  their  haunts  by  these  pests ; 
but  I  have  no  feeling  of  anything  but  wonder  for  the  men  who 
voluntarily  go  forth  to  be  tortured  by  flies  in  order  that  they  may 
kill  tigers.  These  are  smaller  than  the  British  flies,  but  to  the 
eye  they  are  otherwise  alike.  They  seem  quite  content  with  the 
nutriment  they  extract  from  pith  hats,  leather,  gun-barrels,  how- 
dah seats,  dry  leaves,  old  newspapers,  or  anything  on  which 


ILLNESS    OF    CANON    DUCKWORTH.  449 

they  settle,  and  I  am  quite  prepared  to  believe  that  in  April  they 
are  so  numerous  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  put  a  pin's 
point  to  the  back  of  a  man's  coat  without  disturbing  a  fly.  In 
seven  days  will  begin  the  unhealthy  weather.  On  the  8th  of 
March  commences  the  reign  of  fever  over  all  who  are  not  Taroos, 
which  will  drive  the  Nepalese  out  of  the  woods  as  if  they  were 
fly-tortured  tigers.  It  is,  however,  rather  unfair  of  the  fever  to 
have  made  some  reconnaissances  before  its  time.  The  Prince 
killed  a  fine  tigress  with  six  cubs  (unborn).  Lord  Suffield  shot 
-a  tiger  which  assumed  a  very  menacing  attitude,  and  obliged  him 
to  fire  in  self-defence  ;  and  an  odd  lot  of  porcupines,  deer,  wild 
boar,  pea-fowl,  black-buck,  duck,  snipe,  partridge,  and  plover 
were  laid  out  before  the  tents  when  the  shooting  parties  returned 
in  the  evening*. 

March  2. — A  telegram,  which  left  no  doubt  that  the  illness  of 
Canon  Duckworth,  of  which  news  came  a  couple  of  days  ago, 
had  assumed  the  form  of  typhoid  fever,  caused  general  regret  in 
camp.  The  Prince  requested  Sir  Joseph  Fayrer  to  start  for 
Lahore,  which  is  more  than  500  miles  away.  At  10  A.M., 
'although  not  quite  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  fall  at  the 
elephant  hunt,  he  set  out  by  elephant  to  the  nearest  railway 
station,  where  a  special  train  was  ordered.  The  country  is  by 
no  means  exhausted,  notwithstanding  the  quantity  of  game  killed. 
There  was  another  good  bag.  The  Prince  shot  a  tiger  upwards 
of  10  feet  long,  and  the  outside  party  enjoyed  good  shooting. 
In  the  evening  the  Prince  and  his  suite  were  presented  to  the 
ladies  of  Sir  Jung  Bahadoor's  family,  his  wife  and  his  daughter- 
in-law,  and  two  other  relatives,  who  received  the  visits  in  a  large 
tent.  They  were  all  very  interesting  in  appearance  and  costume, 
and  one  was  very  pretty. 

Sir  Jung  still  suffers  from  fever,  and  several  of  the  Nepalese 
officers  are  indisposed  ;  but  the  Europeans  are  generally  in  good 
case,  though  the  sun  be  exceedingly  powerful. 

March  3. — We  moved  to  Duknabagh  on  the  Sarda,  opposite 
Moondia  Ghat.  Hearing  a  hue  and  cry  at  the  back  of  my  tent 
this  morning,  I  went  out  just  in  time  to  see  a  fine  para  fairly 


45O  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

hunted  down.  Another  deer  was  taken  in  camp  yesterday  even- 
ing in  a  similar  fashion.  The  Nepalese  also  exhibited  their  skill 
in  taking  fish,  driving  them  with  elephants  up  to  a  line  of  stake 
nets.  There  are  boats  or  pontoons  moored  at  the  other  side, 
and  the  fish,  when  they  seek  to  leap  over  the  nets,  find  they  have 
got  from  Scylla  to  Charybdis.  The  jeels  teem  with  snipe  and 
coarse  carp,  but  no  one  cares  for  birds  or  fishes  when  there  is 
such  abundance  of  grand  game.  The  Prince  got  two  fine  tigers  ; 
Prince  Louis  killed  one ;--  and  there  was  a  good  score  of  pig,  para, 
cheetul,  &c. 

March  4. — Before  the  camp  broke  up  there  was  an  attempt 
made  by  the  photographer  to  "  take  "  the  Prince  and  his  shooting- 
party  in  their  howdahs.  These  dear  old  elephants  will  do  any- 
thing but  keep  ears,  proboscis,  and  tails  quiet ;  'their  ears  are 
very  large — no  one  can  deny  that  the  proboscis  is  a  great  feature 
— so  that  it  is  not  easy  to  get  a  good  negative  of  the  "  hathi," 
no  matter  how  steady  the  outside  passengers  may  be.  This 
morning  Sir  Jung  and  his  brethren  came  over  to  be  subjected  to. 
the  operation,  and  two  groups  were  taken  of  the  united  parties. 
The  shooting  excursion  to-day  yielded  a  very  fine  tiger,  10  feet 
long  and  19  inches  round  the  forearm,  to  the  Prince's  rifle. 
There  was  also  a  deer  hunt  and  a  wild  boar  chase  organized,  but 
the  results  were  not  very  important,  and  it  is  our  last  day  in 
Nepal — the  end  of  the  visit  to  these  happy  hunting-grounds. 
To-morrow  we  move  to  the  British  side  of  the  river.  Guns  and 
ammunition  must  be  stowed  away  to-night,  and  the  Prince's  days 
in  India  may  now  be  easily  numbered,  though  his  arrival  in  Eng- 
land is  not  to  occur  before  May. 

March  5.— In  the  forenoon  the  Rev.  Julian  Robinson  read 
Divine  service.  At  noon  Sir  Jung  and  his  brethren  were  seen 
coming  from  their  camp,  his  Excellency  bestriding  a  man,  as  is 
usual  when  he  is  in  small  health  and  does  not  mount  his  horse. 
The  Prince  met  him  at  the  entrance  to  the  tent,  and  led  him  to 
a  seat  of  honor.  It  was  a  farewell  Durbar.  The  presents  for 
Sir  Jung  included  several  very  fine  rifles,  a  silver  statuette  of  his 
Royal  Highness  in  the  uniform  of  the  loth  Hussars,  and  many 


DEPARTURE  FROM  NEPAL.  451 

other  valuable  souvenirs.  His  brothers  and  relatives  were  pre- 
sented with  rifles  and  other  arms,  &c.  Sir  Jung  begged  Mr. 
Gircllestone  to  express  his  sense  of  the  great  obligations  under 
which  the  Prince  had  placed  Nepal,  and  those  who  had  received 
marks  of  munificence  far  beyond  anything  that  they  deserved  at 
his  hands,  and  the  Durbar  was  broken  up. 

The  less  agile  members  of  the  suite  were  disconcerted  when 
they  were  told  that  they  would  have  to  cross  the  river  on  pad 
elephants.  The  procession  moved  down  to  the  river  Sarda, 
bright,  clear,  and  blue  as  the  Rhone  at  Geneva,  but  twice  as 
broad.  The  elephants  could  just  ford  it,  causing  the  occupants 
of  the  pads  on  their  island-like  backs  to  squirm  with  the  appre- 
hension that  the  beasts  would  take  to  swimming.  The  Prince 
was  delighted  at  the  idea  of  having  a  swim  across  on  an  elephant ; 
but  the  idea  did  not  please  Sir  Jung,  and  the  elephants  gained 
British  soil  in  safety  by  the  ford.  The  camp  was  beautifully 
situated  under  a  magnificent  mangoe  tope  close  to  the  river, 
which  looked  so  tempting  that  some  of  the  party  mounted  ele- 
phants, and  went  clown  to  the  most  likely  pools,  where  they  tried 
fly  and  spinning  for  marseer,  but  in  vain.  Only  one  of  these 
fish  was  caught  by  the  anglers,  who  were  not  numerous — Lord 
Aylesford,  Major  Prinsep,  and  myself — in  the  several  attempts 
we  made  on  different  occasions. 

March  6. — The  end  of  our  pleasant  holiday  in  the  Terai  to- 
day !  Eager  to  come  and  eager  to  go.  The  mahouts  appeared 
to  take  leave.  Even  the  hathies  were  brought  up  to  make  salaam. 
The  artful  Jewanjee,  the  venerable  bheestie,  the  kelassie,  &c., 
duly  paraded  before  my  tent,  but  they  were  readily  disposed  of. 
Chitties  and  baksheesh,  and  away  they  went  contentedly.  After 
breakfast,  Sir  Jung,  Bubbur  Jung,  Runodeep  Sing,  and  other 
Nepalese  officers  came  to  camp  to  bid  the  Prince  farewell. 
When  Sir  Jung  was  told  that  what  he  said  yesterday  in  Nepal 
had  appeared  already  in  London  he  did  not  evince  the  smallest 
astonishment.  Indeed,  it  would  be  very  hard  to  excite  that 
feeling,  or,  at  least,  to  induce  him  to  permit  any  expression  of  it 
to  be  detected  in  his  face  ;  I  doubt  if  he  would  have  allowed  any 


452 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 


trace  of  emotion  to  have  been  visible  had  he  been  told  that  his 
speech  had  been  duly  printed  in  the  moon.  The  leave-taking 
between  the  Prince  and  his  officers,  and  the  Nepalese  Prime 
Minister,  his  relatives  and  followers,  was  of  a  very  kindly  and 
friendly  nature. 


"TU  POTES  TIGRES   RABIDOS,   MACALLISTER, 
DUCERE." 


"MARTYRS  TO  THUGGEE." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Bareilly — Allahabad — Chapter  of  investiture  of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India 
— The  Prince  and  the  Viceroy — Jubalpoor — More  Thugs — Visit  to  Holkar 
— The  Residency  at  Indore — Arrival  in  Bombay — Farewell  to  India. 

MARCH  6  (continued}. — At  11.30  A.  M.  the  Prince's  equipages  set 
out  for  Bareilly.  A  new  road  had  been  made  for  many  miles 
through  the  forest,  and  the  cortege  bowled  along  at  a  famous 
rate  through  "  Topey,"  Rohiicund.  At  Phillibeet  the  Rampoor 
Chief  had  made  a  small  but  pretty  encampment,  in  which  there 
was  a  room  of  gauze,  supported  on  silver  poles,  under  a  great 
tree.  Here  one  could  enjoy  the  air  without  being  pestered  by 
the  flies.  Of  Bareilly  we  saw  nothing  but  illuminated  roads ; 
but  there  were  some  of  the  party  who  had  good  reason  to  re- 
member one  hot  clay  in  May,  in  1858,  when,  outside  its  mud 
walls,  the  Ghazees  broke  through  Colin  Campbell's  stout  High- 
landers, and  the  Rohilla  horse  charged  our  siege-train.  Major- 

453 


454  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

General  Sam  Browne — to  be  formally  "  Sir  Samuel  "  to-morrow 
—left  an  arm  not  far  from  the  side  of  our  route.  The  Prince 
repaired  from  the  Nawab's  house  to  the  mess  of  the  i8th  Royal 
Irish,  where  the  evening  passed  so  pleasantly  that  I  am  not 
quite  sure  if  the  special  train  to  Allahabad  was  not  a  little  later 
in  starting  than  the  programme  had  it.  From  Bareilly,  which 
the  Prince  left  at  10.20  p.  M.,  there  was  a  continuous  run,  by 
special  train,  of  nigh  twelve  hours  by  Shahjehanpore  (where 
Hale  made  such  a  stout  defence  when  the  Moulvie  came  down 
on  the  82d  regiment,  in  1858),  to  Lucknow,  Cawnpoor,  and 
Allahabad,  which  was  reached  at  about  10  A.  M. 

March  7. — There  was  much  to  be  done,  short  as  the  Prince's 
stay  was  here.  Lord  Northbrook  had  arrived  to  see  the  last  of 
his  much  wandering  guest.  Sir  Bartle  Frere  and  Dr.  Fayrer 
arrived  from  Lahore,  where  they  left  Canon  Duckworth  making 
fair  progress  towards  recovery.  There  was  a  grand  reception  at 
the  Station,  and  a  State  procession  to  the  Lieutenant-Governor's 
house.  An  address  was  presented  by  the  Municipality,  to  which 
the  Prince  made  an  appropriate  reply. 

A  Chapter  of  Investiture  of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India 
was  held  at  i  P.  M.  Major-General  S.  Browne,  V.  C.,  Major- 
General  Probyn,  and  Surgeon-General  Fayrer  were  invested  as 
Knights ;  and  Colonels  Ellis,  Michael,  and  Earle,  Majors  Brad- 
ford and  Henderson,  and  Captain  Baring  as  Companions.  In 
the  afternoon,  the  Prince  drove  to  the  Fort  and  Canning  Town. 
There  was  a  large  dinner  at  the  Lieutenant-Governor's  residence. 
The  Prince  and  Lord  Northbrook  had  a  long  conversation  be- 
fore his  Royal  Highness  went  to  the  Station,  to  which  he  was 
attended  in  the  same  state  as  when  he  entered  Allahabad  in  the 
morning.  The  train  went  off  before  midnight,  amid  loud  cheers 
from  a  great  crowd  on  the  platform. 

March  8. — Travelling  all  night  on  the  East  India  Railway  to 
Jubalpoor,  and  all  day  on  the  Great  Indian  Peninsula  Railway 
to  Candwah  (or  Khandwa)  on  the  way  to  Indore.  At  Jubalpoor 
there  was  one  of  the  prettiest  receptions  possible,  and  a  halt  for 
breakfast  at  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Mr.  Grant. 


SEVEN    MISERABLES.  455 

Afterwards  the  Prince  was  invited  to  see  seven  miserables 
who  had  been  for  thirty-five  years  in  jail,  having  committed  an 
incredible  number  of  murders  in  pursuit  of  their  profession  as 
Thugs.  Their  lives  had  been  spared  because  they  had  turned 
approvers.  What  lives!  Five-  and-thirty  years  within  the  prison 
walls!  The  Prince  questioned  them  as  to  their  trade  and  their 
Eeats  in  pursuit  of  it.  I  cannot  say  that,  had  we  not  known  they 
were  Thugs,  we  should  have  thought  them  remarkably  villanous- 
looking — except  one  man,  the  most  "  venerable  "  of  all,  who  had 
a  hideous  leer  and  ferocious  mouth,  and  who  could  scarcely  re- 
frain from  chuckling  when  he  said,  in  reply  to  a  question  as  to 
how  many  people  he  had  disposed  of,  with  his  hands  together  in 
a  deprecating  way,  "  Sixty-seven  !  "  I  was  experimented  upon 
by  this  old  gentleman,  who,  slipping  the  noose  over  one  of  my 
wrists,  instantly  gave  it  a  turn  outwards,  and  produced  a  disa- 
greeable sensation  of  numbness,  and  a  tingling  sensation  in  the 
fingers  and  up  the  arm.  When  the  Prince  was  about  to  retire, 
there  was  subdued  talk  among  the  Thugs.  Mr.  Morris,  who 
had  been  speaking  to  them,  said  they  had  a  petition  to  offer  to 
his  Royal  Highness.  "  What  is  it  ?  "  They  beg,  sir,  that  you 
will  be  pleased  to  order  that  instead  of  three  rupees  a  month, 
their  present  allowance,  each  of  them  shall  receive  four.  It  will 
make  them  quite  comfortable/'  The  Prince  smiled,  and  said 
that,  "  If  it  could  be  done  he  hoped  the  increase  might  be 
granted  ;  very  few  of  them  would  live  long  to  enjoy  it."  They 
appeared  as  delighted  when  the  Royal  words  were  communicated 
to  them  as  if  they  had  just  secured  a  fresh  victim,  and  had  found 
a  purse  of  gold  on  its  body. 

At  Sohajpoor,  122^  miles  from  Jubalpoor,  lunch  was  laid 
out  in  the  Station,  which  was  charmingly  prepared  for  the  Prince. 
Then  the  journey  continued  for  five  long  hours.  At  Canclwah, 
where  the  Prince  dined,  there  was  a  long  halt.  Here  the  Holkar 
State  Railway,  narrow-gauge,  commences,  and  we  had  to  shift 
to  much  less  comfortable  carriages.  At  i  A.  M.  the  special  train 
left  the  Station,  and  the  party  travelled  slowly  all  night. 

March  9. — It  was   6.30  A.  M.   when    the    train   drew  up   at 


456  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Chowral  on  the  Nerbuclda,  57  miles  from  Candwah,  the  present 
terminus  of  Holkar's  line  to  Indore.  Refreshments,  tents  and  a 
large  pavilion  were  prepared  for  the  party.  Sir  H.  Daly,  Major- 
General  Montgomery,  Colonel  Watson,  Majors  Bannerman, 
Cadell,  Forbes,  &c.  ;  the  Malwa  Bheel  Corps,  the  Bhopal  Bat- 
talion, the  C  troop  Royal  Horse  Artillery,  the  3d  Hussars  (de- 
tachment), the  band,  colors,  and  guard  of  honor  of  the  io8th 
Regiment,  detachment  of  the  23d  Regiment,  were  waiting. 
Open  carriages  and  relays  of  artillery  horses  at  intervals  of  six 
miles  all  the  way  to  Indore — an  exceedingly  interesting  ascent  of 
the  Vinclhya  Range.  On  the  high  lands  io  the  famous  opium 
district  of  Malwa,  fields  of  poppies  were  spread  out  like  carpets  of 
Turkestan,  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Five  miles  from  Indore 
the  glistening  of  arms  attracted  attention,  and  presently  we  made 
out  a  great  triumphal  arch,  spanning  the  road.  As  the  Prince 
approached,  Holkar  came  forth  with  his  chiefs  to  welcome  him. 
He  wore  a  Mahratta  turban,  the  riband  and  badge  of  the  Star  of 
India ;  a  fine  collar  of  diamonds  was  his  only  ornament  save  a 
brilliant-ring — a  single  stone  of  great  size. 

All  the  men  that  Holkar  could  turn  out  were  under  arms,  and 
formed  a  picturesque  if  irregular  line  for  more  than  four  miles  to 
the  town.  The  Bhopal  Battalion  and  Malwa  Bheel  Corps  lined 
the  road.  I  think  it  was  observed  by  most  of  us  that  the  air  of 
the  people  in  the  quasi-Independent  or  Treaty  States  is  bolder 
than  it  is  in  parts  of  India  immediately  under  British  rule.  It 
was  also  remarked  that  several  of  the  houses  in  the  city  had 
shutters  up  and  jalousies  closed.  The  people  seemed  prosper- 
ous, and  we  heard  of  great  wealth  in  the  place.  The  Prince  was 
escorted  by  the  Maharaja  and  his  Sirdars  to  the  house  prepared 
for  him  by  Sir  H.  Daly,  but  there  was  no  incident  worth  noting. 
The  Residency  has  undergone  some  changes  for  the  better  since 
the  clays  when  it  was  held  so  bravely  ;  but  there  is  still  the  stair- 
case remaining  by  which  Durand  made  his  escape  with  the  sur- 
vivors of  that  dreadful  ist  of  July,  nineteen  years  ago.  There 
was  a  levee  after  the  departure  of  the  Maharaja,  and  the  Chiefs 
of  the  district  attended  it  in  order  to  pay  their  respects. 


THE    RESIDENCY    AT    INDORE.  457 

At  5  p.  M.  the  Prince  visited  the  Rajas  of  Thar,  Rutlam,  Jourah 
and  Dewas,  in  acknowledgment  of  their  attendance  at  the 
Residency ;  after  which  he  paid  a  visit  to  the  Lallbagh,  where 
his  Royal  Highness  was  received  in  Durbar.  Holkar  led  him 
to  a  room  where  his  presents  were  laid  out,  first  taking  off  a  bril- 
liant-ring and  putting  it  on  the  Prince's  finger. 

A  State  dinner  followed  in  a  pavilion  erected  for  the  occasion 
at  the  Residency,  to  which  eighty  European  ladies  and  gentle- 
men received  invitations.  Holkar  gave  the  health  of  the  Queen, 
whose  rule,  he  said,  was  founded  on  the  principle  of  doing  jus- 
tice to  Princes  and  poor  alike.  After  his  health  had  been  pro- 
posed by  the  Prince,  he  expressed  the  honor  he  felt  at  being 
visited  by  the  son  of  the  Queen  at  his  poor  capital,  and  begged 
to  assure  her  of  his  loyal  attachment.  General  Daly  translated 
the  speech,  to  which  the  Prince  made  an  excellent  reply.  The 
Prince  remained  in  conversation  with  the  Maharaja's  Minister 
for  some  time,  and  then  went  to  the  ballroom,  where  the  Euro- 
pean ladies  and  gentlemen  from  the  Stations  round  about  had 
assembled. 

March  10. — The  third  volume  of  Sir  J.  Kaye's  "History  of 
the  Sepoy  War  "  has  reached  India,  and  the  account  of  the  Inclore 
Mutiny  has  provoked  keen  criticism.  As  I  look  out  of  my  tent 
I  find  it  difficult  to  picture  the  scene  on  that  terrible  day  when 
the  guns  were  pouring  shot  into  the  house  above  which  now 
floats  the  Royal  Standard  of  England,  and  when  Travers  gathered 
up  his  handful  of  horsemen  for  that  desperate  charge.  There 
are  gardeners  watering  beds,  from  which  come  the  perfume  of 
roses  ;  the  only  noise  audible,  and  it  is  quite  loud  enough,  is 
from  the  camels  and  the  hackery-wallahs  waiting  for  our  bag- 
gage. 

The  Prince  received  the  Chiefs  of  smaller  note,  and  the  offi- 
cers of  the  Bhopal  and  Malvvha  Bheel  Corps.  Five  men  of  the 
Central  India  Horse  who  charged  the  guns  on  the  ist  of  July, 
1857,  seemed  more  than  rewarded  by  the  Prince's  notice  and 
the  few  words  acknowledging  their  services.  A  group  of  Bheels 
performed  graceful  dances  ;  the  men  with  bows  and  arrows,  and 
20 


458  THE   PRINCE    OF   WALES'    TOUR. 

garlands  in  their  hair,  dancing  together  ;  the  women,  with  heads 
and  faces  covered,  and  arms  and  legs  ornamented  with  gold 
bands,  also  dancing  in  separate  sets,  to  the  sound  of  rather 
harmonious  native  instruments.  The  Prince,  before  his  de- 
parture, thanked  Sir  H.  Daly  for  his  exertions  in  Central  India, 
and  for  what  he  had  done  at  Gwalior  and  Indore,  and  the  Royal 
thanks  were  well  and  worthily  bestowed.  The  departure  of  the 
Prince  from  Indore,  his  last  excursion  in  India,  was  made  in  the 
same  form  as  his  entry;  and  if  I  have  said  nothing  more  about 
these,  it  is  because  no  matter  how  the  occasion  and  locality  may 
differ,  there  is  necessarily  a  monotony  which  I,  at  least,  cannot 
dispel.  Holkar  took  his  leave  at  the  pandal  at  which  he  had 
received  the  Prince,  and  there  was  a  pleasant  drive  over  the 
plateau  and  down  the  Alpine  road  which  descends  the  ghaut,  to 
the  special  train  at  Chowral. 

"We  shall  be  in  Bombay  to-morrow  morning  !  Just  think  of 
that !  And  then  in  two  days  more  we  are  off  towards  home  ! 
Hurra,  my  boy  !  Hurra  !  "  The  train  started  at  6  p.  M.,  and 
reached  Candwah,  57  miles,  at  8.40  p.  M.  •  Here  there  was  a 
banquet ;  that  is,  there  was  a  remarkable  bill  of  fare  ;  but  the 
dishes  set  forth  thereon  were  by  no  means  to  be  found  on  the 
table.  Lord  Suffield,  in  honor  of  the  day,  proposed  the  health 
of  the  Princess  of  Wales,  for  which  the  Prince  returned  thanks, 
and,  in  doing  so,  paid  a  tribute  in  most  gracious  terms  to  the 
officers  in  his  personal  suite  and  to  those  who  joined  him  in 
India,  and  attributed  much  of  the  success  which  had  attended 
his  trip  to  their  efforts. 

March  u. — It  was  n  A.  M.,  and  the  sun  was  already  un- 
pleasantly powerful  as  the  ever-vigilant  artillerymen  announced 
the  Prince's  arrival  outside  the  Churchgate  Station,  Bombay. 
The  Station  was  carpeted,  and  the  pillars  wreathed  with  flowers. 
On  the  platform  there  were  the  Governor,  the  Commander-in 
Chief,  and  all  the  authorities,  for  there  was  to  be  a  procession  to 
the  Dockyard.  A  guard  of  honor  was  furnished  by  the  Marine 
Battalion  ;  the  Governor's  Body  Guard  and  a  squadron  of  the 
Poonah  Lancers  were  told  off  as  escort.  The  Staff  preceded  the 


RETURN    TO    BOMBAY.  459 

carriages,  and  his  Royal  Highness  sat  in  the  last  carriage  of  all 
with  the  Governor.  Parsee  ladies  in  the  brightest  colors  that 
dye  can  make  formed  groups  of  enthusiastic  admirers,  even 
though  they  were  compelled  now  and  then  to  content  themselves 
with  the  sight  of  umbrellas  only,  for  the  sun  was  very  hot.  It  is 
said,  indeed,  that  many  people  went  away  because  they  were 
tired  of  waiting  in  the  heat.  One  of  the  Bombay  papers,  excus- 
ing the  city  apparently  for. a  lack  of  decorations,  said  that  there 
was  no  time  to  allow  of  any  extravagant  display.  But  perhaps 
it  would  be  more  polite  to  say  that  the  departure  of  the  Prince 
was  not  an  event  which  could  be  welcome  to  the  city  or  to  India. 
There  was  a  continuous  line  of  people  for  about  two-thirds  of 
the  route  ;  at  various  points  there  were  isolated  groups  of  Parsees, 
knots  of  Hindoos  and  Mussulmen  ;  and  the  European  store- 
houses, shops,  hotels,  and  the  like,  presented  an  array  of  pleas- 
ant faces  from  window,  balcony,  and  roof,  the  owners  of  which 
cheered  and  waved  handkerchiefs,  and  expressed  their  delight 
at  seeing  the  Prince  again.  The  first  battalion  of  the  2d 
Queen's,  the  4th  Bengal  Native  Infantry,  the  2oth  Queen's,  and 
the  2ist  Bengal  Native  Infantry  were  drawn  up  along  the  route. 
The  platform  and  stands  inside  the  dockyard-gate  which  had 
been  prepared  for  the  Prince's  reception  on  his  arrival  from  the 
railway  station  were  occupied,  but  the  Chiefs  were  there  no  longer. 
Instead  of  the  welcoming  inscriptions  there  was  inscribed  in 
golden  letters  over  the  portal  the  words  "  God  speed  you  !  "  A 
group  of  naval  officers  from  the  fleet  was  posted  at  the  entrance  ; 
a  guard  of  honor  of  the  G.I. P.  volunteers,  and  guard,  band,  and 
colors  of  the  2d  Queen's.  There  were  many  there,  no  doubt, 
who  bade  good-by  to  friends  and  acquaintances  among  the 
suite  with  but  little  likelihood  of  meeting  again  in  this  world  ; 
but  there  were  doubtless  fast  friendships  formed  which  will  be 
renewed,  let  us  hope,  on  this  side  of  the  grave  in  a  less  sunny 
climate. 

The  Prince  stepped  on  board  the  steam-launch.  Thirteen 
ships  of  war  saluted.  The  Serapis,  freshly  decked  with  white 
paint  and  re-gilt,  was  nobler  to  look  at  than  any  bucentaur.  It 


460  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

was  so  pleasant  to  think  that  instead  of  going  to  wed  the  Adria- 
tic, the  Prince  was  bound  for  home  !  There  was  something 
more  than  official  warmth  in  the  cheers  with  which  he  was  greet- 
ed, something  more  than  the  multiplied  echo  of  Captain  Bed- 
ford's regulation  "  Hip  !  hip  !  hurray  !  "  as,  cocked  hat  in  hand, 
that  gallant  mariner  directed  the  enthusiasm  of  the  men  in  the 
answering  cheers  aloft  when  he  came  alongside.  The  day  was 
spent  on  board,  but  the  Governor  invited  the  notabilities  of 
Bombay  to  have  the  honor  of  meeting  the  Prince  at  Malabar 
Point  at  a  farewell  dinner.  The  entertainment  was  in  all  re- 
spects very  agreeable. 

March  12. — At  n  A.M.  the  Prince  attended  Divine  service 
on  the  quarter-deck.  Mr.  York  read  the  service  and  preached 
a  good  sermon,  but  did  not  attempt  "to  improve  the  occasion." 
The  land-breeze  tried  in  vain  to  temper  the  muggy  heat  which 
wrapped  us  all  round  like  a  blanket,  and  at  the  best  that  same 
breeze  is  but  a  sorry  and  deceitful  ally.  It  is  difficult  to  agree 
with  people  in  their  praises  of  the  climate  of  Bombay.  Sir  Joseph 
Fayrer  will  not  admit  that  it  deserves  commendation.  Reports 
of  sickness  have  led  to  the  issue  of  orders  that  if  any  natives  go 
off  they  are  not  to  be  allowed  to  come  on  board  again.  Hence 
great  despair.  The  melancholy  Madrassee  is  a  sad  sight,  but 
for  profundity  of  grief,  the  Bombay  boy  seems  far  to  surpass 
him.  Admiral  Macdonald  gave  a  farewell  dinner  to  the  Prince 
on  board  the  Undaunted,  to  which  the  senior  officers  of  the  fleet 
were  invited. 

March  13. — Just  this  day,  seventeen  weeks  ago,  the  Serapis 
cast  anchor  in  Bombay  Harbor.  The  Prince  has  travelled  near- 
ly 7600  miles  by  land  and  2300  miles  by  sea,  knows  more  Chiefs 
than  all  the  Viceroys  and  Governors  together,  and  has  seen  more 
of  the  country  in  the  time  than  any  living  man.  Soon  after  dawn 
all  were  alive  and  stirring  between  decks — not  so  much  stirring, 
indeed,  as  trying  to  stir,  for  it  was  with  difficulty  one  could  move 
until  the  Chinese  and  a  detachment  of  sailors  had  cleared  the 
boxes,  bales,  baggage,  bundles,  parcels  of  all  kinds.  About 
these  mounds  of  private  property  the  natives  servants  wandered 


"  ULTIMUR   IN   INDIS."  461 

disconsolate.  No  doubt  in  many  hours  of  hard  work  their  souls 
had  been  cheered  by  the  thought  that  when  we  had  gone  they 
would  appear  all  glorious  in  their  scarlet  coats,  slashed  with  gold- 
lace,  adorned  with  the  silver  plume  of  the  Prince,  and  perambu- 
late the  bazaars,  the  admiration  of  all  their  fellows  !  But  Major 
Sartorius  had  issued  a  ukase.  The  clothing  must  be  given  up. 
Finally  it  was  settled  that  the  gold-lace  should  be  taken  off,  and 
that  the  clothes  should  be  dyed  another  color,  and  given  back 
to  the  servants.  The  whole  matter  quite  unimportant,  but  for 
the  proof  of  microscopic  vision  and  of  thoughtfulness  on  the 
part  of  the  authorities. 

Sir  Philip  Wodehouse,  attended  by  Captain  Jervoise  and  Mr. 
Lee  Warner,  came  on  board  at  i  P.  M.  ;  next  Rear- Admiral 
Macdonald  and  Sir  Charles  Staveley  arrived  soon  afterwards. 
Then  came  the  deputation — Parsee  and  Hindoo  merchants  for 
the  most  part,  and  three  or  four  Europeans — Dr.  Hewlett,  Mr. 
Maclean,  Mr.  Peddar,  &c.,  with  the  farewell  address  of  the  Bom- 
bay Corporation.  The  Prince  requested  Mr.  Karaka's  (the 
chairman)  acceptance  of  a  souvenir — one  of  the  medals  pre- 
sented to  Rajas. 

Sir  Jamsetjee  Jeejeebhoy  and  his  family  had  a  farewell  audi- 
ence. Major-General  Sir  Samuel  Browne,  V.  C.,  Major  Brad- 
ford (special  service),  Major  Henderson  (political  service), 
Major  Ben  Williams  (in  charge  of  the  transport  and  stud,  &c.), 
Major  Sartorius,  V.  C.  (in  charge  of  the  personnel  of  the  camps), 
whose  services  the  Prince  so  fully  appreciated,  came  to  take 
leave.  There  was  certainly  no  exaggeration  in  the  compliment 
paid  by  the  Prince,  when  he  associated  these  officers  with 
the  success  of  his  Indian  tour.  Sir  Samuel  Browne  —  his 
friends  take  away  the  last  two  syllables  of  his  Christian 
name  —  had  to  arrange  trains,  carnages,  from  the  begin- 
ning to  the  end.  And  one  who  saw  how  quietly  all  was  done 
would  admit  that  "  General  Sam's  one  hand  and  arm  are  worth 
two  of  most  people's."  Major  Bradford  had  charge  of  the 
Prince's  personal  safety.  His  quiet  vigilance  never  relaxed ; 
nothing  escaped  him  ;  his  surveillance  extended  from  Ceylon  to 


462 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 


the  Himalayas,  and  even  into  Nepal  ;  no  one  would  ever  think 
he  had  any  more  onerous  work  than  playing  a  hdnd  at  lawn 
tennis.  Most  amiable,  gentle,  and  kind  of  men,  he  was  obliged 
to  create  small  Siberias  on  occasion,  and  the  number  of  people 
who  "  got  locked  up  "  all  of  a  sudden  will  never  be  known,  not 
even  if  a  return  be  moved  for  in  the  House.  Major  Hender- 
son's experience  rendered  his  assistance  in  ceremonies  of  state 
of  the  highest  value.  If  any  came  to  grief  on  the  horses  which 
Major  Williams  provided,  it  was  not  the  fault  of  that  excellent 
officer  ;  and  Major  Sartorius's  name  and  services  are  too  well 
known  to  render  any  eulogy  of  mine  necessary. 

Admiral  Macdonald  was  the  last  to  leave  ;  with  full  eyes  he 
bid  the  Prince  "  Good-by  !  "  It  was  3.45  p.  M.  Then  came 
the  strokes  of  the  bell,  which  set  the  engines  in  motion.  The 


ON   THE   WAY  HOME. 


FAREWELL    TO    INDIA  !  463 

Prince  stood  on  the  bridge  as  the  Scrapis  slowly  forged  ahead. 
The  farewell  salute  was  fired.  As  soon  as  the  smoke  cleared 
away,  the  signal  "  God  speed  you  !  "  was  seen  flying  from  the 
L'ndaiintcit.  The  Serapis  made  reply,  "  Thanks  !  We  look  for- 
ward to  next  meeting!"  Through  the  drifting. vapor  of  gun- 
powder, the  shore,  growing  dimmer  and  dimmer,  as  it  reflected 
the  fading  rays  of  the  declining  sun,  was  watched,  until  the  out- 
lines of  the  hills  faded  into  cloudland,  and  darkness  fell  on  the 
face  of  the  waters.  The  Colaba  Light  long  threw  its  sheen  on 
the  foam  which  marked  our  wake,  but  was  lost  at  last  amid  the 
stars.  Farewell  to  India ! 


UNDER   ONE   FLAG. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Homeward'Bound — St.  Patrick's  Day— A  Stern  Chase— Aden  once  more — 
Perils  by  night — Visits  on  Board — Suez — Lord  Lytton— Cairo — The 
Khedive — The  Grand  Duke  Alexis — The  "  Svetlana  " — Alexandria— A 
Rat-Trap—Malta—Gibraltar. 

MARCH  14. — Those  who  were  on  the  shady  side  of  the  ship  on 
the  voyage  out  have  now  the  full  advantage  of  the  rising  sun, 
and  as  he  is  rather  strong  in  these  parts,  the  benefit  is  not  as 
much  appreciated  as  it  probably  would  be  in  England  about  this 
time  of  year.  At  noon,  latitude  18°  4'  N.  ;  longitude,  69°  2'  E. 
distance  run,  218  miles.  Aden  Light-House  distant  1419  miles. 
Some  curiosity  was  felt  to  see  how  the  elephants  would  behave. 
Nothing  could  be  better  or  more  composed  than  their  conduct. 
The  cheetul  presented  at  Ceylon  has  complete  freedom  of  the 
ship,  the  Prince's  state  cabins  and  bedroom  included,  but  partic- 
464 


ST.  PATRICK'S  DAY.  465 

ularly  affects  the  smoking  saloon.  She  appears  to  live  on  any- 
thing, eats  fresh  vegetables  or  cotton-wool,  and  has  been  known 
to  accommodate  her  appetite  to  putty  and  tobacco.  At  10.15  p-  M- 
passed  the  Pcshawur^  bound  with  mails  for  Bombay.  Signal  was 
made  to  the  Osbonic  to  follow  and  get  papers. 

March  15. — At  8  A.  M.  a  slight  breeze  sprung  up,  but  it  soon 
died  away,  and  there  was  little  to  do  but  to  read  ;  the  papers 
proved  a  great  solace.  The  intelligence  that  the  Queen  would 
assume  the  title  of  Empress  of  India  had  reached  before  the 
Scrapis  left  in  the  ordinary  way  and  had  been  much  discussed, 
and  the  reports  of  the  debates  in  Parliament,  which  were  received 
by  the  last  mails,  were  read  with  profound  interest.  No  incidents. 

March  16. — Thermometer  80°.  At  noon,  Aden  893  miles 
distant;  latitu.de,  15°  59'  N. ;  longitude,  60°  4';  distance  run, 
273  miles. 

March  17. — "Incidents"  scarce,  as  usual.  The  Osborne 
came  alongside,  in  order  to  exhibit  her  two  elephants  salaaming. 
One  of  the  playful  little  tigers  made  a  sudden  clutch  at  Mr. 
Hall  as  he  was  passing  him,  and  tore  his  pantaloons  from  knee 
to  ankle.  The  four-horned  deer  took  it  into  his  foolish  head 
to  jump  into  the  sea  and  was  lost.  A  distribution  of  a  very  small 
piece  of  shamrock,  sent  last  mail  by  a  thoughtful  compatriot, 
gave  little  sprigs  to  Lord  Charles  Beresford^  Dr.  Watson,  Cap- 
tain Gough,  Lieut.  Lambert,  Lieut.  Lowry,  and  Lieut.  Burrowes. 
The  band  at  and  after  dinner  played  a  selection  of  Irish  airs  in 
honor  of  the  day  by  desire  of  the  Prince. 

March  18. — Signal  made  to  the  Raleigh  to  put  on  all  speed 
and  chase,  as  if  to  ram  the  Serapis,  then'  running  over  twelve 
knots  an  hour.  A  stern  chase  is  a  long  chase,  but  the  Raleigh 
vindicated  her  reputation,  coming  up  in  a  masterful  style  as  if 
to  send  us  to  the  bottom,  when,  with  a  light  touch  of  the  helm 
she  shot  past  as  close  as  her  yard-arms  would  permit  on  our 
starboard  quarter.  The  Prince  was  on  deck.  The  way  in  which 
the  Raleigh  was  handled  gave  him  great  satisfaction.  It  was 
curious  enough  to  see  the  figure-head  and  read  the  name  of  the 
hapless  courtier  breasting  the  Arabian  seas  as  she  passed  us. 
20*  30 


466  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Sunday  March  19. — A  breeze  right  astern  ;  very  grateful. 
It  was  dark  as  the  Serapis  approached  Aden.  We  had  great 
difficulty  in  our  moorings,  as  the  wind  was  strong.  A  good  deal 
of  nervousness  and  electricity  about.  It  was  exciting,  for  there 
were  only  four  inches  of  water  under  the  ship's  bottom.  The 
Resident,  Brigadier  Schneider,  came  off  with  Colonel  Penn  and 
the  staff  of  the  Station.  They  were  disappointed  that  the  Prince 
had  not  arrived  in  time  to  go  ashore,  where  everything  had  been 
prepared  to  do  him  honor. 

The  purchase  of  Socotra  has  given  satisfaction,  and  it  is  ac- 
cepted as  a  sign  of  active  interest  for  which  people  living  at 
Aden  are  very  grateful,  because  they  are  very  much  like  the  sig- 
nal-men at  the  Clapham-  Junction,  who  witness  a  continual  suc- 
cession of  trains  going  and  coming.  There  is  uneasiness  about 
the  comparatively  defenceless  condition  of  Aden.  There  is  a  want 
of  n-inch  guns,  and  in  due  time  let  us  hope  this  want  will  be 
remedied. 

March  20. — The  coaling  finished  at  2.15  A.  M.,  and  the  Sera- 
ph and  Osborne  was  steaming  out  of  Aden  Roads  before  3  A.  M. 
Perim  was  in  sight  at  11.30  A.  M.  Some  languid  excitement  was 
created  in  the  afternoon  by  the  appearance  of  the  P.  and  O. 
steamer,  which  we  had  left  behind  at  Aden,  coming  up  fast  astern, 
the  Raleigh,  with  all  sails  set,  overhauling  both. 

March  21. — At  1.15  A.  M.  the  look-out  saw  something  dark  in 
the  water,  with  a  white  streak  at  its  base.  "  Breakers  ahead  !  " 
We  were  running  right  on  Lebaju  Island,  but  it  was  a  con- 
siderable distance  off.  Our  course  was  altered  at  once,  and,  in 
doing  so,  the  ship  came  broadside  towards  the  sea,  which  at  once 
availed  itself  of  the  opportunity  to  have  a  run  inside,  rousing  up 
the  sleepers,  who,  with  many  cries  of  distress",  had  to  make  shift 
for  dry  quarters.  I  was  amongst  the  sufferers,  and,  kicking  off 
my  wet  sheet,  crept  up  into  the  saloon  and  slept  on  a  sofa. 
At  5.45  A.  M.  the  P.  and  O.  steamer  Assam,  going  eastwards, 
signalled  that  she  had  service-letters  ;  slowed,  and  took  them  on 
board.  The  P.  and  O.  Hydaspes,  which  had  dropped  behind, 
came  up  hand  over  hand  at  dusk,  and  before  nightfall  was  out  of 


APPROACHING    SUEZ  467 

sight.  We  had  30  additional  stokers,  and  16  Arabs,  making  96 
hands  in  all ;  but  40  of  the  crew  and  marines  were  sent  down  to 
the  stoke-holes,  for  which  they  receive  double  pay. 

March  22. — At  8  A.  M.  our  speed  was  little  over  10  knots,  but 
the  wind  from  the  north  came  through  the  ship  and  reduced  the 
heat  to  78° — a  very  agreeable  change.  Deck  tennis.  No  inci- 
dents. 

March  23— A  visit  was  paid  by  the  port  tiger  to  the  larboard 
tiger.  One  got  loose  and  had  a  little  play,  very  much  by  itself, 
on  deck  before  it  was  minded  to  turn  into  its  cage.  Speed  down 
to  9'4  knots.  At  noon  observation  gave  lat.  23°  33'  N.,  long. 
36°  59'  E.,  distance  runs  235  miles.  Daedalus  Light,  in  miles  ; 
Suez,  465  miles.  The  mountain  ranges  over  Berenice  came  in 
sight  just  before  dinner. 

March  24. — At  6  A.  M.  the  Osborne  was  dispatched  to  Suez 
to  telegraph  to  Lord  Lytton  at  Cairo  that  the  Serapis  would  not 
arrive  in  time  to  receive  him  to  dinner,  but  that  she  would  prob- 
ably reach  Suez  at  2  A.  M.  The  new  Governor-General  is  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  the  Prince. 

It  seems  very  appropriate  that  the  Prince,  returning  from  India 
full  of  fresh  impressions,  should  meet  in  Egypt  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Crown,  now  Imperial,  who  is  going  to  Hindostan  to 
carry  out  a  policy  which  will  doubtless  bear  marks  of  the  agen- 
cies developed  during  the  Royal  Tour,  and  the  sympathies  and 
objects  indicated  in  the  addition  of  the  title  of  Empress  to  those 
by  which  the  Queen  has  hitherto  been  known  to  her  subjects. 
At  noon  the  Suez  Light-vessel  was  still  210  miles  distant,  Shad- 
wan  S.  point  37  miles  ;  lat  25°  56',  long.  34°  29'  E.  Siesta, 
deck  tennis,  reading,  music,  enable  us  to  get  over  the  day,  and 
there  was  the  excitement  of  the  usual  "lottery  "  concerning  the 
hour  of  arrival,  which  was  won  by  Major-General  Hardinge. 

March  25. — There  was  a  very  picturesque  reception  at  Suez 
at  8  o'clock  this  morning.  The  weather  delicious,  men-of-war 
and  merchantmen  decked  in  their  best ;  the  quays  of  the  noble 
docks  decorated  with  flags  and  lined  with  troops.  Lord  Lytton, 
who  was  accompanied  by  Lady  Lytton  and  Colonel  Burne,  came 


468  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

on  board  at  9  A.  M.,  and  the  Prince  had  a  long  conversation  with 
him  after  breakfast.  The  interview  was  all  too  short ;  for  the 
train  was  timed  to  reach  the  Egyptian  capital  at  6.45  p.  M.,  and 
the  Governor-General  was  very  desirous  to  take  away  as  much 
daylight  with  him  as  he  could  down  the  Straits  of  Jubal ;  but  no 
doubt  it  was  of  mutual  advantage.  At  Cairo  the  Prince  found 
the  Khedive,  his  sons,  and  the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  waiting  to  re- 
ceive him.  And  his  welcome  was  cordial  and  stately.  We  were 
in-stalled  in  our  old  quarters  in  the  Gezireh  Palace,  the  rooms 
very  much  as  if  we  had  left  them  yesterday.  The  Grand  Duke 
Alexis,  a  tall,  stalwart  sailor,  with  massive  brow,  keen  blue  eyes, 
and  a  pleasant  smile,  came  to  dinner.  He  has  a  frank  manner, 
which  tends  perhaps  in  the  direction  of  abruptness,  as  if  the  sea 
air  had  a  little  corroded  the  Imperial  varnish,  but  he  is  a  very 
good  officer,  and  he  certainly  was  very  gracious  and  agreeable  to 
the  suite.  We  found  the  Court  in  a  state  of  great  depression. 
Nubar  Pasha's  familiar  face  and  kindly  presence  are  missed — 
he  is  once  more  out  of  office — this  time  it  is  said  never  to  be  re- 
stored, and  Chereef  Pasha  is  master  of  the  situation,  as  far  as 
the  Khedive  permits  any  minister  to  be  so,  for  he  is  "  maitre  chez 
lui"  The  statement  that  the  Khedive  had*  requested  that  Mr. 
Cave's  reports  should  not  be  published  had  produced  the  utmost 
astonishment  and  anger,  and  at  the  present  moment  "  the  Eng- 
lish interest "  is  very  much  down  indeed.  But  who,  to  see  the 
Khedive  doing  the  honors  to-night  at  the  Opera  (where  we  had 
Flick  und  Flock  and  La  Pruova  di  un  Opera  Sena,  admirably 
given,  Signer  Fioravanti  reviving  the  recollections  of  Lablache 
in  Campanone),  could  have  supposed  that  his  Highness  had  to 
pay  4,ooo,ooo/.,  and  to  be  ready  with  600, ooo/.  in  a  fortnight, 
and  that  the  Finance  Minister  had  no  money,  and  said  he  did 
not  know  where  to  get  any  ?  He  was  as  light  and  debonnair  as 
ever,  and  two  princes  were  lodged  in  his  palaces,  and  entertained 
sumptuously  every  day.  The  Prince  remained  at  Cairo  from  the 
25th  of  March  till  the  ist  of  April.  It  was  desirable  to  avoid 
the  inclement  weather  which  generally  prevails  in  England  at 
this  time  of  year,  and  it  was  also  necessary  to  adhere  to  the  time 


THE    KHEDIVE.  469 

fixed  for  the  visits  to  the  Courts  of  Spain  and  of  Portugal  before 
the  Prince  arrived  home.  Telegraphic  communication  was 
easy,  and  there  were  daily  bulletins  which  diminished  anxiety. 
The  time  passed  pleasantly,  as  it  always  does  for  those  who  are 
guests  of  the  Khedive  till  the  Khamseen  wind  set  in,  and  that 
is  an  infliction  that  even  his  resources  cannot  evade  or  alleviate. 
I  do  not  propose  to  continue  the  daily  record  of  events. 
There  were  operas  and  the  theatre,  concerts  and  banquets  at  the 
Palace,  dinners,  great  and  small,  excursions,  and,  I  may  add, 
alarms  ;  for  in  the  midst  of  all  this  gayety,  there  was  Turkey 
near  at  hand  struggling  with  wide-spread  revolt  and  menaced 
with  ruin,  in  which  Egypt  must  be  in  some  measure  involved  ; 
there  was  imminent  trouble  at  home,  immense  financial  pressure  ; 
war  with  Abyssinia  only  just  suspended  by  overtures  of  doubtful 
submission  from  the  enemy.  But  the  Khedive  never  exhibited 
any  symptoms  of  malaise,  irritation,  or  despondency.  Like  the 
Lord  Mayor  of  London  who  expressed  his  belief  that  the  me- 
tropolis would  get  on  very  well  as  long  as  the  Thames  was  not 
taken  away,  the  Viceroy  seems  to  think  that  Egypt  has  nothing 
to  fear  as  long  as  the  Nile  pours  down  its  beneficent  flood.  His 
fertile  brain  is  forever  busy  with  plans  for  the  development  of 
the  influence  and  resources  of  the  country,  from  the  embellish- 
ment of  Cairo  to  the  extension  of  his  power  to  the  confines  of 
Zanzibar.  As  under  Papal  rescripts  the  Kings  of  Spain  and 
Portugal  claimed  all  the  Indies,  East  and  West,  the  Khedive 
hold*  ^if  he  is  entitled  as  successor  of  the  Caliphs  of  Egypt  to 
puon  his  empire  till  arrested  by  some  stable,  well-established 
power.  He  desires  to  have  a  neutral  territory  guaranteed  by 
some  European  Power  between  Egypt  and  Abyssinia,  but  will 
not  consent  to  give  a  foot  of  sea-coast.  The  Coptic  Abouna, 
whom  he  regards  as  the  great  mischief-maker,  is  said  by  Mr. 
Flad,  who  is  now  in  Cairo,  to  be  largely  engaged  in  the  Slave- 
trade.  The  same  authority  declares  King  Johannes  to  be  a  mon- 
ster of  cruelty,  and  holds  that  there  will  be  no  peace  in  Abys- 
sinia till  it  is  ruled  by  Egypt  or  by  some  strong  power — the  best 
solution  of  the  difficulties  of  the  situation,  he  thinks,  would  be 


4/O          THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

the  selection  of  Theodore's  son,  now  in  England,  to  be  King, 
under  Egyptian  protection.  There  were  excursions  to  the  Pyr- 
amids and  to  Sakkarah,  and  quail  shooting  ;  but  the  Khamseen 
was  quite  well  developed  on  the  3ist  of  March,  the  last  day  of  the 
Prince's  residence.  During  the  week  we  lost  Sir  Bartle  Frere's 
society — the  mitts  sapientia  Lczli — and  Lord  Alfred  Paget's  co- 
operation in  doing  whatever  was  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  "life," 
for  by  the  Prince's  permission  they  proceeded  direct  to  Europe. 
On  the  ist  of  April  the  Prince  bade  farewell  to  the  Khedive  at 
the  Cairo  Station.  The  special  train  left  at  2.45  P.  M.,  and  ar- 
rived in  Alexandria  at  7  P.  M.  There  was  a  large  and  rather 
tumultuous  crowd,  and  the  streets  were  filled  with  people  all  the 
way  to  the  dockyard.  There  boats  were  waiting,  and  once  more 
the  Serapis  received  the  Royal  traveller  and  gave  his  followers 
welcome  shelter.  There  was  a  large  dinner  on  board,  at  which 
the  Grand  Duke  Alexis  and  the  senior  officers  of  his  suite  and 
of  the  Russian  Corvette  Svetlana  v/ere  present.  The  Prince, 
after  the  health  of  the  Queen,  proposed  that  of  the  Czar ;  and 
the  Grand  Duke,  in  returning  thanks,  gave  the  health  of  the 
Prince,  which  was  received  with  the  heartiness  inspired  by  the 
satisfaction  that  he  was  on  board  safe  and  well  after  the  accom- 
plishment of  a  most  interesting  and  valuable  enterprise. 

April  2. — At  8  A.  M.  the  Raleigh,  Research,  Invincible,  Svetlana, 
and  the  Egyptian  ships  and  batteries  saluted  the  Prince's  flag. 
It  blew  hard  ;  there  was  a  chopping  sea  in  harbor.  Divine  ser- 
vice at  11.30  A.M.  The  Grand  Duke  Alexis  gave  a  dinner  on 
board  the  Svetlana,  to  which  the  members  of  the  suite  were  in- 
vited. The  evening  passed  very  agreeably  ;  and  after  an  inter- 
change of  toasts,  in  one  of  which  the  Grand  Duke  observed  it  was 
not  the  least  agreeable  incident  to  him  that  it  was  a  Russian  frig- 
ate which  was  the  first  foreign  vessel  to  receive  the  Prince  on 
his  return  from  visiting  the  Indian  possessions  of  England — at 
which  there  was  much  cheering — the  party  mounted  to  the  upper 
deck,  where  there  was  a  very  characteristic  and  interesting  enter- 
tainment given  by  the  crew — one  of  the  equipages  of  the  Imperial 
Guard — very  fine,  soldierly-looking  sailors.  They  sang  admi- 


DEPARTURE  FROM  ALEXANDRIA.  4/1 

rably  those  sweet  and  rather  melancholy  melodies  which  one  hears 
chanted  by  Russian  regiments  on  the  march,  as  well  as  some 
livelier  airs,  and  these  were  interspersed  with  dances,  but  the 
chef  d'cBiivre  was  a  musical  drama  or  operetta,  in  which  the  deeds 
of  the  pirates  of  the  Volga,  were  recounted  by  a  tall,  picturesque 
sailor,  whose  solos  were  sustained  by  spirited  choruses.  As  he 
sang,  he  walked  round  and  round  in  the  semicircle  of  sailors,  now 
and  then  advancing  to  the  company,  with  a  great  air  of  bravado, 
and  delivering  his  words  with  immense  animation  in  a  rich, 
round  voice.  After  cordial  farewells,  the  party  returned  to  the 
Scrapis,  where  all  was  in  readiness  to1  sail  next  morning,  if  the 
weather  permitted. 

April  •$. — At  5.15  A.  M.  the  Serapis,  followed  by  the  Invincible, 
Raleigh,  and  Research,  weighed  and  stood  out  of  Alexandria  Har- 
bor. The  frigates,  and  the  batteries,  from  Ras  El  Teen  to  the  wind- 
mills, roused  up  the  sleeping  city  with  a  salute,  which  drowned 
the  cheers  of  the  sailors.  There  was  a  heavy  roll  on  the  bar  • 
but  the  harbor  has  been  so  much  improved  that  there  was  none 
of  the  anxiety  about  touching,  which  certainly  would  have  been 
not  unfounded  some  years  ago  in  such  a  sea.  At  8.45  A.  M.  the 
fog-horn  sounded,  and  a  gun  was  fired  from  the  senior  officer  as 
a  warning  to  the  squadron  before  entering  a  bank  of  haze.  A 
few  minutes  afterwards  a  flash  of  lightning  came  straight  down 
from  a  small,  round,  black  cloud,  and  struck  the  sea  a  couple  of 
miles  from  the  Serapis.  It  was  followed  by  a  short  roll  of  thun- 
der, abrupt  as  the  report  of  a  great  gun.  The  haze  lifted  in  an 
hour  and  a  half.  The  Invincible  and  the  Raleigh  were  in  sight ; 
but  the  Research  had  dropped  away  astern. 

The  thermometer  marked  65°,  and  men  complained  of  cold. 
The  manis,*  the  curious  mailed  ant-eater,  died  to-day,  and  it  is  a 
positive  fact  that  three  several  persons  when  told  of  it,  in  order 
to  try  them,  fell  into  the  trap,  and  gravely  said,  "  Peace  be  to  his 
manes  !  "  There  is  no  punishment  for  such  offences  except  re- 
cording them. 

*  A  Pangolin,     fifanis  tetradactyla. 


4/2  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

April 4. — Now  here  is  a  fact  to  note.  From  the  time  the  Prince 
landed  in  India  till  this  morning  there  has  not  been  a  shower  of 
rain.  I  except  Ceylon,  where  it  rained  torrentially.  There  was 
a  dreeping  shower  at  Jummoo,  and  a  patter  for  five  minutes  on 
the  tents  in  the  Terai.  Now,  in  this  sunny  Mediterranean,  we 
are  favored  with  a  downpour.  But  it  is  quite  calm.  Somehow 
OF  other  the  sun  was  "  brought  down  "  in  a  lucid  interval  at  noon, 
and  our  run  from  Alexandria  was  put  at  268  miles,  distance  from 
Malta  489  miles  (lat.  330  7'  N.,  long.  230  52'  E.) 

April  5. — The  sea  is  in  a  rascally  humor.  It  is  too  cold  to 
have  the  ports  open,  but  there  are  strong  plate-glass  slides  ad- 
justed to  the  port-holes,  which  seem  to  fit  very  nicely  and  to  be 
quite  reliable,  as  the  Americans  say — it  is  a  good  word  after  all 
— for  keeping  out  the  waves.  Trusting  to  the  appearance,  I  went 
to  sleep,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  night  was  suddenly  awakened 
to  the  certainty  that  the  sea  had  surged  in  through  the  port,  and 
that  my  blankets  and  cabin  were  saturated.  The  rats  have  be- 
come very  active.  My  boots  suffered  especially  ;  so  my  ingenious 
and  kindly  neighbor,  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  prepared  a  trap,  in 
which  several  of  the  miscreants  were  caught,  but  not  being  quite 
so  confident  of  the  results  of  his  mechanical  ability  as  I  should 
have  been,  I  removed  the  undevoured  boots,  and  was  duly  objur- 
gated for  my  unfeeling  conduct  in  "  spoiling  sport  and  taking 
away  the  bait."  The  rigging  full  of .  pretty  fly-catchers  and  mota- 
cillce  all  day ;.  but  there  are  scoundrel  kestrels  about,  which,  hav- 
ing probably  chased  them  out  to  sea,  pursue  their  prey  on  board. 
They  boldly  strike  their  victims  and  pick  them  to  pieces  on  the 
yard-arms. 

April  6. — At  dawn  Malta  was  in  sight  just  like  a  cloud  in  the 
west,  and  at  7  A.  M.  the  little  Helicon  came  in  view,  dancing  over 
a  rolling  sea,  with  the  Admiral  Sir  James  Drummond's  flag 
aboard,  and  bags  of  letters  for  the  squadron.  As  soon  as  the 
Serapis  was  within  a  mile  of  St.  Elmo  the  saluting  began  ;  when 
she  opened  the  entrance  to  the  great  harbor,  the  thunder  of  guns 
from  forts  and  ships,  and  cheers  from  parapet,  and  ringing  and 
tinkle  of  bells  made  such  a  clangor  as  was  quite  wonderful. 


MALTA.  473 

No  less  than  eight  addresses  were  proposed  for  presentation 
to  the  Prince  on  landing.  These  were  condensed  into  one,  or, 
more  properly  speaking,  one  address  was  made  to  do  duty  for 
the  island,  which  desired  to  express  its  loyalty  through  eight  dif- 
ferent channels — masonic,  clerical,  ecclesiastical,  legal,  medical, 
educational,  aristocratic,  and  commercial. 

There  were  some  pretty  touches  of  Oriental,  or,  at  least,  of 
Southern  sentiment  and  taste  in  the  details  of  the  preparations. 
When  the  Prince  landed,  he  saw  before  him  the  statues  of  eight 
Grand  Masters  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John — L'Isle  Adam,  who 
led  the  Order  to  Malta  and  established  it  there  after  the  con- 
quest of  Rhodes  by  Solyman  ;  La  Valette,  the  gallant  defender 
of  the  island  against  Moustafa,  and  the  hero  of  the  famous  siege, 
on  which  the  eyes  of  Europe  were  fixed  so  long,  whose  name  is 
perpetuated  in  that  of  the  city ;  De  la  Sangle,  the  legislator ;  La 
Cassiere,  the  Founder  of  St.  John's  Church  ;  Vignacourt,  the 
builder  of  the  great  Aqueduct;  Cottoner,  the  creator  of  "the 
lines  ;  "  Manoel,  the  constructor  of  the  great  fort ;  and  Emman- 
uel de  Rohan,  who  gave  a  code  of  laws  to  the  island,  and  died 
just  in  time  to  escape  the  melancholy  distinction  of  being  the 
last  Grand  Master.  It  was  a  good  idea  to  line  the  noble  stair- 
case of  the  Palace,  up  which  the  Grand  Master  was  wont  to  ride 
on  the  day  of  his  election,  with  non-commissioned  officers  of  the 
corps  in  garrison.  There  were  numerous  presentations  at  the 
Palace,  but  there  was  no  levee. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  multitude  was  a  very  agreeable  testi- 
mony to  the  popularity  of  the  Prince ;  it  Can  scarcely  be  main- 
tained that  British  protection  can  be  unpopular  if  the  Heir  to 
the  Crown  can  be  received  so  warmly.  The  people,  who  are 
not  rich,  subscribed  largely  to  decorate  the  streets,  prepare  trans- 
parencies and  fireworks.  The  dinner  given  by  SirW.  and  Lady 
Van  Straubenzee  was  one  of  the  grandest  which  the  old  Palace 
had  ever  seen  since  the  great  banquet  on  the  occasion  of  the 
surrender  of  the  island  to  the  French. 

April  7. — There  is  an  old  gentleman  named  "  Paolo," — what 
his  other  name  is  I  know  not — holding  office  high  among  the 


4/4  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

servitors,  in  the  Palace,  who  is  among  the  institutions  of  Malta. 
He  first  came  into  office  with  General  Ponsonby,  and  since  that 
time  he  has  seen  nine  Governors  come  and  go ;  and,  like  the 
major-domo  at  the  White  House,  Washington,  he  regards  him- 
self as  the  only  stable  part  of  the  administrative  machine.  He 
knows  every  inch  of  the  building,  and  is  especially  conversant 
with  the  gallery  of  armor,  where  there  are  many  interesting 
things,  for  which  see  the  Guide-books.  Paolo  says,  "  No  peo- 
ple rule  this  place  very  long,  but  it  will  always  be  strangers  who 
will  do  so.  The  Maltese  belong  to  no  one,  and  must  be  taken 
care  of."  However,  there  is  a  nationality,  but  it  certainly  has 
no  claims  to  be  Italian,  and  the  most  intelligent  of  that  intelli- 
gent Maltese  race,  feeling  the  pressure  of  increasing  population, 
are  given  to  projects  of  founding  colonies  in  Africa,  where  their 
people  certainly  thrive  and  flourish.  There  is,  at  any  rate, 
plenty  of  room  for  them  between  'Algiers  and  Egypt. 

The  g8th  Regiment,  Sir  Colin  Campbell's  favorite  corps,  re- 
ceived new  colors  from  the  Prince  on  the  Floriana  Parade- 
grounds  to-day.  Although  it  did  good  service  in  China  and  the 
Punjaub,  it  had  now  no  distinctive  appellation.  It  was  first 
raised  as  "  the  Prince  of  Wales'  Tipperary  Regiment ; "  how 
it  lost  that  title  I  am  unable  to  say.  After  the  ceremony,  which 
is  one  of  the  most  tedious  that  ever  was  invented,  at  least  for 
those  who  have  to  look  at  it,  the  garrison,  which  consisted  of  the 
42d  Highlanders,  the  yist  Highland  Light  Infantry,  the  74th 
Regiment,  the  loist  Regiment,  and  the  British  and  Maltese 
Artillery,  about  4000  Strong  in  all,  marched  past  the  Prince. 

There  was  a  State  dinner  at  the  Palace.  It  is  Lent  time, 
and  there  is  only  one  day  during  the  Prince's  stay  considered 
eligible  for  rejoicing.  The  old  Catholic  families  of  Malta  did 
not  think  it  right  to  attend  the  ball  at  the  Union  Club  in  the 
evening.  Certainly  their  absence  was  scarcely  noticed,  for  the 
rooms  were  well  filled,  and  the  committee  had  done  everything 
to  render  the  entertainment  worthy  of  the  Prince ;  but  it  would 
have  been  more  agreeable  to  one's  notions  of  the  becoming  had 
the  native  nobility  and  gentry  been  present. 


TARGET    PRACTICE. 

April  8. — There  was  a  pretty  exhibition  of  artillery  pi 
from  the  batteries  to-day,  but  the  results  must  have  satisfied  non- 
professional  people  that  "  sound  and  fury  "  may  "  signify  noth- 
ing." Shortly  before  noon  the  Prince  drove  to  St.  Elmo,  and 
took  up  a  position  on  the  concrete  roof  of  the  magazine  below 
the  Light-House.  It  had  been  .intended  to  have  experiments 
with  torpedoes  in  conjunction  with  practices  from  the  batteries, 
to  show  the  Prince  the  range  of  the  new  armament,  and  the 
powers  of  resistance  ;  but  the  Telegraph  Company  called  atten- 
tion to  the  danger  to  the  submarine  cables,  and,  as  scientific 
officers  would  not  give  an  assurance  that  these  apprehensions 
were  not  well-founded,  the  torpedo  experiments  were  consequent- 
ly postponed. 

The  practice  was  at  floating  octagon  targets  16  feet  long,  at 
1200,  1500,  and  2000  yards,  from  n-inch  guns,  no-lb.  breech- 
loading  Armstrongs,  8o-lb.  and  64-lb.  Palliser's  converted  guns, 
ajid  began  from  the  batteries  soon  after  noon.  The  general 
fault  of  the  firing  was  that  the  shots  were  "  short."  Certainly 
the  result  seemed  to  justify  the  impression  that  an  iron-clad 
moving  seven  or  eight  knots  an  hour  at  1500  yards  could  sub- 
ject guns  en  barbette  and  in  casemates  to  destructive  fire  without 
much  clanger  of  being  injured.  The  Devastation,  flying  the 
Danish  flag,  which  had  been  saluted  at  noon  as  it  was  the  King 
of  Denmark's  birth-day,  steamed  out  of  harbor  for  Gibraltar. 
Naval  men  said  she  could  have  laid  Ricasoli,  St.  Elmo,  and 
Tignd  in  ruins.  The  clamor  was  tremendous,  and  as  far  as 
picturesque  effect  went  the  scene  was  beautiful.  None  enjoyed 
it  more  than  the  native  aides-de-camp,  Anoop  Sing  and  Afzil 
Khan,  who  have  been  our  quiet  and  observant  companions  from 
Bombay.  The  Prince  then  left  St.  Elmo  and  drove  to  the  Las- 
caris  platform,  overlooking  the  great  harbor,  to  witness  a  general 
fire  from  all  the  works  to  resist  an  enemy,  represented  by  two 
gun-boats,  one  from  east  and  the  other  from  west.  The  parapets 
were  lined  with  infantry.  Every  sea-face  battery  opened,  at 
ridiculous  distances,  on  the  gun-boats,  and  continued  till  their 
ammunition  was  exhausted.  It  was  very  pretty,  but  useless. 


4/6  THE   PRINCE   OF   WALES*    TOUR. 

Everything  was  soon  hid  in  smoke.  The  noise  was  tremen- 
dous. Th'e  gun-boats  were  miles  away.  When  all  was  over 
they  steamed  in,  and  claimed  the  capture  of  the  place. 

The  Prince  lunched  at  Sir  Victor  and  Lady  Houlton's,  and 
after  dinner  at  the  Palace  went  to  the  Opera,  where  there  was  a 
creditable  performance  of  La  Muette  dc  Portici. 

Palm  Sunday. — April  9. — The  Prince  attended  Divine  ser- 
vice at  the  Protestant  church,  which  was  crowded.  Bishop 
Sandford  preached.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  service  the  Prince 
drove  with  the  Governor  and  party  to  Vedella,  to  lunch,  and 
returned  about  4  p.  M.  As  the  steam-launch  was  going  across 
with  the  Prince  and  his  party,  who  were  to  dine  with  Colonel 
Macdonnel  and  the  officers  of  the  yist  Regiment,  she  encoun- 
tered a  nasty  chopping  sea  from  the  Custom  House  Stairs  to 
Ricasoli,  caused  by  the  wind  blowing  straight  up  the  harbor.  A 
little  uneasiness,  not  to  say  anything  about  the  wetting,  was  felt 
for  a  few  moments  as  to  our  prospects  of  landing.  Fortunately 
the  officers  had  prepared  a  floating  platform,  which  rendered 
access  to  the  causeway  not  so  difficult  as  it  would  have  been 
without  such  assistance.  The  wharf  was  illuminated  by  torches 
held  by  soldiers  of  the  7ist.  They  lined  the  way  to  the  entrance 
to  the  barracks.  The  ascent  was  steep,  and  the  good-humored 
remark  that  no  one  who  lived  in  such  a  place  ought  to  ask  peo- 
ple to  dinner,  was  at  one  time  generally  assented  to.  A  very 
agreeable  evening,  however,  caused  small  initial  impediments  to 
be  forgotten. 

April  TO. — Torpedo  "experiments,"  were  made  in  presence 
of  the  Prince,  who  was  posted  not  very  far  from  the  site  of  one 
of  old  Draguts'  batteries  during  the  famous  siege.  Well  !  Given 
the  increase  of  power  on  the  part  of  the  attack  derived  from 
steam  iron-clads  and  rifled  ordnance  since  Draguts'  time,  and  the 
corresponding  development  of  the  power  of  resistance  by  these 
same  agencies,  plus  torpedoes,  it  might  be  inferred  from  what 
we  saw  to-day  that  things  were  very  much  as  they  were.  When 
the  torpedo  exploded  under  an  object  which  was  so  good  as  to 
allow  itself  to  be  taken  expressly  to  be  blown  up,  the  torpedo 


LAST   DAY   IN    MALTA.  477 

blew  the  object  up  and  killed  many  fishes  as  well — a  new 
source  of  supply  to  a  beleaguered  garrison.  I  do  not  think  his 
Royal  Highness  was  quite  satisfied  with  what  he  saw,  or  consider- 
ed that  torpedoes  so  far,  could  defend  Massamuschett  Landing 
or  the  Lazaretto.  Let  us  hope  "  non  tali  auxilio,  nee  defensori- 
bus  istis,  Malta  eget."  This  was  our  last  day  in  Malta.  There 
were  many  things  to  be  done,  visits  to  be  paid,  and  small  cere- 
monies and  duties  attended  to.  The  people  were  busy  taking 
down  faded  garlands,  triumphal  arches  and  Venetian  masts,  be- 
fore the  Prince  went  off  to  the  Serapis  in  the  evening.  There  a 
banquet  was  given  on  board  to  the  Governor,  and  to  the  chief 
people  of  Malta,  British  and  Maltese,  which  was  of  a  very  agree- 
able character,  although  not  destitute  of  the  formal  attributes  of 
a  State  dinner. 

April  ii. — One  more  stage  on  the  journey  home.  At  8 
A.  M.  the  Serapis  left  her  moorings,  off  Custom  House  Stairs, 
and  steamed  out  to  sea  on  her  way  to  Gibraltar.  The  Prince's 
flag  was  duly  honored  by  a  general  salute  from  ships  and  forts. 
The  thermometer — 60° — warned  us  that  we  were  running  west- 
wards, and  away  from  the  sun.  As  the  ship  ran  along  shore, 
one  of  the  Scotch  servants  was  much  excited  on  being  shown 
"  St.  Paul's  Bay."  "  Hech  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  I'd  sooner  ha' 
seen  yon  than  a'  the  Peeramids  in  Egypt  and  a'  the  Rajaws  in 
Ingey  !  "  And  why  not  ? 

April  12. — Latitude  37°  44'  N.,  longitude  8°  34'  E.  Run  264 
miles.  Cape  cle  Gatt  526  miles,  Gibraltar  684  miles  at  noon. 
In  the  midst  of  a  conversation  on  a  most  interesting  subject, 
the  Prince's  attention  was  caught  by  the  appearance  of  one  of 
the  natives  attending  the  elephants,  who  was  holding  his  hand 
to  his  mouth,  from  which  there  was  a  trickle  of  blood.  He  went 
to  the  man,  followed  by  Sir,  D.  Probyn,  and  was  told  that  the 
mahout  had  been  struck  by  a  sailor  because  he  desired  him  not 
to  tease  the  elephant.  The  Prince  at  once  ordered  an  inquiry  to 
be  made.  The  culprit  was  an  A.B.  of  good  standing.  Captain 
Glyn,  who  well  knew  the  risk  of  "  setting  up  Jack's  back " 
against  the  natives  and  the  animals  on  board,  did  not,  neverthe- 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

less,  hesitate  to  order  condign  punishment.  I  think  it  was  a 
pretty  "  bed  of  justice,"  and  that  had  it  been  seen  in  India  it 
might  have  been  worth  a  battalion  to  us  at  least. 

April  13. — A  strong  East  wind — squally  ;  all  square  canvas 
set,  the  Osborne  spreading  all  her  wings,  and  the  Raleigh  very 
fine  to  look  at  under  her  great  tiers  of  sail.  .  There  was  so  much 
play  about  the  ship  that  fiddles  were  put  on  the  dinner-table, 
perhaps  their  third  appearance  since  the  Prince  left  Brindisi.  It 
is  cold  at  night,  and  the  gentlemen  who  swing  on  board  at  ease 
feel  very  glad  of  an  extra  blanket  in  their  cots. 

April  14. — The  wind  is  said  to  be  changeable  always  ;  but 
to-day  it  really  seemed  to  blow  in  different  directions  at  the 
same  time.  There  were  dozens  of  vessels,  of  all  sizes  and 
nationalities,  bowling  along  on  their  respective  courses,  as  if 
each  had  a  witch  to  fill  her  sails.  At  noon  we  were  in  latitude 
36°  37'  N.,  longitude  2°  20'  w.  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  Sir,"  said 
an  old  salt  to  me,  "  but  its  somewhere  just  about  here  we  seed 
the  sea-serpent  in  1870."  "Who  were  'we'?"  "Well,  Sir, 
asking  your  pardon,  it  was  aboard  the  Palace  we  was.  But  the 
captain  wished  us  to  say  nothing  about  it,  for,  says  he,  if  it  gets 
out  that  we  say  we  seed  the  sea-serpent,  there's  not  a  man  will 
ever  be  employed  again  !  But  we  seed  it  sure  enough.  The 
whole  watch,  about  a  cable's  length  off,  and  just  as  big  as  our 
funnel."  And  so  I  believe  he  did. 

April  15.  —  "The  Rock"  was  in  sight  at  dawn.  It  is  a 
subject  of  much  mirth  to  our  young  gentlemen — and,  indeed,  to 
some  of  the  old  ones — that  the  Spanish  Governor  of  Algesiras, 
opposite,  designates  himself  "  Commandant  "  (or  Governor)  "  of 
Gibraltar,  in  temporary  occupation  of  the  English;"  but  it  is 
only  of  late  years  that  there  disappeared  from  the  superscription 
of  English  coins  a  title  not  less  ludicrous.  The  sense  of  posses- 
sion, however  it  may  be  vilipended  by  philosophers  and  advanced 
thinkers,  is  unquestionably  agreeable.  A  man  is  proud  of 
belonging  to  an  Empire  of  great  extent,  and  assumes  that  he  is 
pro  tanto  and  per  tantum  better  than  the  native  of  a  country 
which  has  not  made  acquisitions.  I  once  heard  a  great  states- 


GIBRALTAR.  479 

man  make  what  he  thought  to  be  a  complete  answer  to  a 
politician,  who  was  denouncing  a  certain  course  of  action  as 
tending  to  reduce  England  to  the  position  of  Holland,  by  ex- 
claiming, "And  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  a  Dutchman  is  less 
happy  or  prosperous  to-day  than  his  forefather  was  when  the 
Seven  Provinces  were  dominant  at  sea,  and  when  they  were 
distracted  by  efforts  to  maintain  their  colonial  possessions  ! " 
The  great  statesman  never  felt  the  throb — foolish,  it  may  be, 
but  capable  of  driving  a  good  deal  of  heroic  blood  through  one's 
veins — which  the  heart  gives  when  the  sight  of  the  flag  awakens 
the  sentiment  of  the  proud  King. 

"  Ich  heisse 

Der  reichste  Mann  in  der  getauften  Welt  : 
Die  Sonne  gelit  in  meinem  Staat  nicht  unter." 

And  that  was  what  one  felt  in  travelling  back  from  the  East, 
so  that  the  irruption  of  the  red  flag  with  the  white  crescent  on  it 
at  Suez  seemed  almost  anomalous  and  improper.  But  what  do 
the  Spaniards  think  of  our  Union  Jack  fluttering  above  Calpe  ? 
Probably  very  much  as  the  Moor  over  yonder,  who  has  not  only 
to  sigh  over  the  fair  land  he  has  lost,  but  to  submit  to  the  flag 
of  his  despoiler  on  his  own  shore.  Strong  wind,  sea  high.  The 
Moorish  coast,  rocky,  bold,  and  barren,  visible  through  the  port, 
and  the  white  houses  over  Tetuan  very  distinct.  At  7.45  A.  M. 
heard  the  ships  and  batteries  saluting. 

The  Serapis  moored  alongside  the  coal-quay  in  less  than  half 
an  hour  afterwards.  Scarcely  had  she  made  fast  before  the 
Duke  of  Connaught  was  seen  coming  down  the  quay.  The 
Duke  was  delighted  to  find  the  Prince  in  such  excellent  health, 
and  said  he  had  never  seen  him  looking  so  well.  There  could 
be  no  doubt  of  the  good  dispositions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Rock,  and  of  their  desire  to  do  all  they  could  to  render  the  visit 
of  the  Prince  agreeable.  The  procession  to  the  Convent  was 
made  in  state,  and  there  was  certainly  no  reason  to  find  fault 
with  the  reception  ;  streets  crowded,  windows  and  houses  filled, 
flowers,  garlands,  triumphal  arches,  banners  and  flags  all  along 


480  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

the  route  ;  the  cheers  of  the  great  multitude  exceedingly  hearty. 
After  a  levee  at  the  Convent  the  Prince  accompanied  the  Duke 
of  Conn  aught  to  his  quarters,  where  he  partook  of  luncheon. 
There  was  a  disagreeable  pull  from  the  Watergate  Quay  to  the 
Set-apis,  in  order  to  dress  for  a  banquet  at  the  C  '-vent  at  8 
o'clock. 

The  news  of  the  death  of  the  Maharaja  of  Puttiala  (which 
came  to-day)  was  heard  with  sincere  regret  by  the  Prince,  to 
whom  the  young  Maharaja  had  exhibited  great  friendship  and 
regard. 

April  1 6. — When  Bishop  Sandford  had  ended  service.  Sir  J. 
D.  Hay  appeared  on  board  with  a  deputation  from  the  Emperor 
of  Morocco,  Cid  Aly  Mesfeewy,  Envoy  Extraordinary,  Said 
Abdallah  Benabdil,  &c.  ;  and  though  there  was  not  a  diamond 
or  emerald  among  them  that  I  could  see,  and  their  attire  was 
simple  indeed — white  turban  and  bournous,  and  yellow  slippers 
— I  am  not  sure  that  they  were  not  as  noble  of  presence  as  any 
Raja  or  Nawab  of  them  all. 

Easter  Monday,  April  17. — Gibraltar  still  en  fete.  Crowds 
in  the  streets.  Nothing  to  be  seen  but  flowers  and  garlands, 
flags,  lanterns.  The  foundation-stone  of  the  New  Market-place 
was  laid  by  the  Prince  with  Masonic  ceremonies,  the  proceedings 
being  opened  by  a  long  and  somewhat  lugubrious  address,  of  a 
religious  character,  by  a  Dissenting  minister.  The  Masonic 
manifestations  which  had  been  suppressed  at  Malta  found  large 
expansion  here.  The  engineers  complain  that  the  defences  of 
Gibraltar  suffer  exceedingly  from  constant  changes  at  home. 
Plates  and  guns  are  subjected  to  continual  alterations.  As  the 
size  of  the  cannon  is  increased,  the  emplacements  become  obso- 
lete. Casemates  intended  for  1 8-ton  guns  are  quite  useless  for 
35-ton  guns.  The  emplacement  for  the  new  35-ton  gun  to  be 
mounted  at  the  Alexandra  battery,  on  the  end  of  the  New  Mole, 
was  laid  by  the  Prince  in  the  afternoon.  The  garrison,  consisting 
of  five  regiments,  paraded  at  3.30  p.  M.  on  the  ground  outside 
the  Watergate.  The  Spanish  Governor  of  Algesiras  came  over 
to  the  Review  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  Prince,  and  to  have  a 


FESTIVITIES.  481 

look  at  the  outside  of  his  temporally  abstracted  fortress,  accom- 
panied by  a  staff  of  Spanish  officers  arid  by  a  small  escort  of 
serviceable,  if  not  neat-looking  Lancers.  The  Prince  entertain- 
ed the  Duke  of  Con  naught  and  a  large  party  on  board.  Covers 
were  laid  for  fifty-five.  The  company  went  on  shore  to  witness 
the  fireworks,  and  the  lighting  up  of  the  streets  and  of  the 
Rock.  The  illuminations  on  shore,  to  our  practised  eyes,  were 
not  quite  overpowering,  but  the  marine  works  of  that  sort,  and 
the  pyrotechnic  effects  of  the  fleet  were  admirable. 

April  1 8.— Excursion  to  the  cork-wood  of  Rondo;  a  very 
agreeable  clay,  in  spite  of  showers.  I  was  told  that  there  were 
two  hundred  police  and  soldiery  posted  in  various  spots  round 
the  scene  of  the  picnic,  out  of  sight.  The  Prince  dined  in  the 
evening  with  the  Rifle  Brigade,  and  went  off  to  the  theatre  after- 
wards. It  blew  great  guns.  The  guests  of  the  Rifle  Brigade, 
and  those  who  attended  the  theatre,  had  to  contend  with  great 
difficulty  respecting  transport — the  rain  fell  in  torrents — the  sup- 
ply of  vehicles  in  Gibraltar  is  not  unlimited.  Combine  these 
conditions  and  imagine  the  result. 

April  19 — The  storm  passed  away.  The  4th  (King's  Own) 
had  the  honor  of  receiving  his  Royal  Highness  at  lunch.  There 
were  soldiers'  games  at  the  North  Front  afterwards,  and  the 
struggle  between  the  Royal  Artillery  team  and  the  sailors  (of  the 
Raleigh  principally,  I  think)  in  the  "  Tug  of  War  "  evoked  the 
finest  feelings  of  the  services  ;  and  when  the  sturdy  gunners, 
who  had  been  at  work  mounting  ordnance,  parbuckling,  heaving 
and  hauling  carriages  and  shot  for  months,  pulled  the  tars  over, 
it  was  too  much  for  one  ancient  mariner  ;  he  blew  his  nose  sus- 
piciously, and  would  not  speak  to  any  one  for  ten  minutes.  From 
the  games  the  Prince  returned  to  change  his  uniform,  and  the  23d 
Royal  Welsh  Fusiliers  entertained  him  at  dinner  in  their  mess- 
room.  The  festive  proceedings  which  were  arranged  to  celebrate 
the  Royal  visit  were  wound  up  by  a  grand  ball.  As  they  were  to 
start  for  Cadiz  early  next  morning,  the  Prince  and  the  Duke  of 
Connaught  went  on  board  the  Osborne  from  the  ball-room. 
21  31 


THE   ONLY   BULL-FIGHT   THE   PRINCE    SAW   IN    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Departure  from  Gibraltar — Arrival  at  C:idiz — Seville — Cordova — Madrid — 
Toledo — The  Escurial — The  Palace  Tapestry — The  Armory — The  Re- 
view— Festivities — Arrival  at  Lisbon — Public  Entry — Belem  Castle — 
Royal  Entertainments — Excursion  to  Cintra — Palace  of  Ajuda — Depart- 
ure from  Lisbon — Serapis  Dinner  to  the  Prince — Land  in  Sight — "  The 
Enchantress  is  coming  " — Home  at  Last ! 

APRIL  20.  —  At  7  A.  M.  the  Osborne  was  running  along  the 
coast  on  her  way  towards  Cadiz.  It  was  understood  there  should 
be  no  saluting,  but  the  Devastation,  Swiftsure,  Raleigh,  and  Re- 
search manned  yards  and  fired,  the  batteries  joined,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  Gibraltar  was  completely  hidden  in  a  cloud  of  thick, 
white  smoke.  The  weather  was  cloudy,  and  rain  fell  at  intervals. 
Passing  near  the  Pearl  Rock  we  could  not  but  wonder  at  the 
neglect  of  measures  to  mark  a  spot  made  so  unpleasantly  familiar 
by  our  naval  misfortunes.  At  12.30  the  Osborne  was  running 
into  Cadiz.  The  Prince  landed  incognito  at  3.45  P.  M.  Special 
trains,  however,  are  not  easily  "  smuggled  through,"  and  there 
482 


ARRIVAL    AT    SEVILLE.  483 

ire  crowds  at  all  the  stations  up  to  Seville,  where  their  Royal 
Highnesses  arrived  at  6.45  p.  M.  in  time  for  dinner.  The  Count 
of  Mirasol  and  two  high  officers  of  the  Court  were  waiting  on  the 
part  of  the  King  to  receive  them. 

Although  there  were  no  public  functions  at  Seville,  no  part 
of  the  tour  was  more  thoroughly  enjoyed  than  the  entertainments 
provided  for  the  Royal  travellers.  The  Princes  attended  the 
races,  which  had  been  postponed  till  their  arrival  ;  went  to  the 
theatres ;  visited  the  famous  Tobacco  Manufactory ;  picnicked 
in  the  gardens  of  the  Monpensier  Palace  ;  saw  the  "fun  "  of  the 
Fair,  which  was  then  at  its  height ;  inspected  at  their  ease  Cathe- 
dral, churches,  museum,  Alcazar,  la  Cariclad,  picture-galleries. 
Their  presence  gave  eclat  to  many  assemblages,  and  the  splendor 
of  the  equipages  placed  at  their  disposal  necessarily  attracted 
attention.  However,  the  Sevillanos,  on  the  whole,  were  not  de- 
monstrative. It  was  delightful  to  be  in  a  city  where  there  were 
neither  reviews,  receptions,  state  banquets,  illuminations,  nor 
fireworks,  and  where  without  any  "  wild  shrieks  "  there  was  the 
full  enjoyment  of  liberty.  Perhaps  it  was  just  as  well  that  there 
was  a  rigid  resolve  to  resist  the  blandishments  of  the  quaint 
posters  on  the  walls,  giving  the  names  of  the  performers  who 
were  to  operate  on  "  los  toros "  in  the  ring,  and  representing 
tremendous  bulls  on  the  rampage. 

The  Royal  party  left  Seville  on  the  25th  of  April,  and  at  5.15 
p.  M.  the  special  train  reached  Cordova.  The  Princes  drove  in 
carriages  provided  for  them  by  the  courtesy  of  gentlemen  of  the 
city,  to  the  Cathedral.  The  people  assembled  at  the  station  and 
at  the  entrance  to  the  building  were  scarcely  remarkable  for 
courtesy  or  good  manners.  The  canons  and  higher  dignitaries 
received  the  Princes,  and  led  the  illustrious  visitors  through  every 
part  of  the  vast  edifice.  The  choir,  the  mosque,  the  treasury, 
the  richly  embroidered  robes  and  plate  were  inspected,  and 
finally  their  Royal  Highnesses  ascended  the  tower,  from  which 
there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  city.  At  9  P.  M.  the  Royal  party  con- 
tinued their  journey,  travelling  all  night  in  the  Royal  carriages. 
The  train  arrived  at  8  A.  M.  (the  26th  of  April)  at  Aranjuez,  where 


484  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Mr.  Layard,  the  members  of  the  British  Legation,  and  a  deputa- 
tion of  Spanish  officers  were  waiting  to  welcome  them.  In  two 
hours  more  they  reached  Madrid.  A  guard  of  honor,  with  the 
band  of  an  Engineer  regiment,  was  drawn  up  at  the  station.  The 
young  King  exchanged  most  cordial  greetings  with  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught. 

The  crowd  of  English  and  strangers  inside  the  station  cheered 
loudly.  The  state  carriage  left  the  station,  the  Prince  sitting  on 
the  right  of  King  Alfonso,  the  Duke  of  Connaught  and  Prince 
Louis  of  Battenberg  opposite.  The  Prince  of  Wales  was  dressed 
in  the  uniform  of  Field-Marshal,  and  the  Duke  of  Connaught  in 
that  of  the  yth  Hussars.  Other  carriages  followed  with  the 
suite.  The  full-dress  liveries  were  very  handsome,  and  the 
equipages  well  appointed.  The  Royal  party  drove  to  the  Palace 
through  a  mile  and  a  half  of  crowded  streets.  The  cortege  was 
preceded  by  a  body  of  the  Royal  Guard  on  horseback.  The 
people  in  the  streets  were  very  respectful,  and  took  off  their 
hats,  but  there  generally  was  no  cheering  except  from  foreigners. 
It  is  not  the  habit  in  Spain  to  utter  loud  cries,  unless  under  ex- 
citement of  a  political  character  or  of  warlike  demonstration. 

The  reception  at  the  Palace  was  very  stately  ;  the  approaches 
and  staircases  lined  by  halberdiers  in  effective  uniforms,  cocked- 
hats,  broad  lapelled  coatees  of  blue  with  white  facings,  white 
knee-breeches,  and  long  black  gaiters.  Upon  reaching  the 
grand  apartments,  King  Alfonso  presented  the  Royal  Princes  to 
the  Princess  of  the  Asturias,  ladies  of  the  Court,  the  grandees, 
and  officials.  The  English  Princes  then  presented  the  members 
of  their  suites  to  his  Majesty,  who  gave  them  a  most  gracious 
reception.  In  the  afternoon  the  King  and  the  Princes  visited 
the  Museum,  rich  in  masterpieces  of  Murillo,  Velasquez,  Titian, 
and  in  noble  specimens  of  the  Flemish  and  Dutch  schools. 
There  are  some  French  paintings,  but  no  exajnples  of  English 
masters  in  the  galleries.  Here  the  Royal  party  spent  a  consider- 
able time. 

There  were  great  crowds  along  the  Prado  and  Buen  Retiro 
in  the  afternoon  to  see  the  Prince.  Madrid  wears  an  animated 


ARRIVAL    IN    TOLEDO.  485 

aspect.  The  list  of  festivities  is  full,  and  promises  to  tax  the 
energies  of  those  who  will  have  to  take  part  in  them.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  declined  an  invitation  to  a  bull-fight,  which  it 
was  proposed  to  give  on  a  large  scale  in  his  honor.  There  was 
a  banquet  at  the  Palace,  remarkable  for  the  display  of  plate  and 
for  great  splendor  of  appointments,  after  which  the  King  and 
Princes  went  to  the  Theatre.  The  opera  was  //  Trovatore. 

April  26. — The  King  accompanied  the  Prince  of  Wales  and 
Duke  of  Conn  aught  to  Toledo.  The  Royal  party  left  Madrid 
by  special  train  at  9  o'clock,  breakfasted  en  route,  and  reached 
Toledo  in  two  hours.  At  the  station  a  guard  of  honor  was 
drawn  up,  and  breaks  drawn  by  magnificent  mules  were  waiting 
to  convey  them  through  the  quaint  old  city.  The  visitors  first 
examined  the  Hospital  built  in  1504,  which  has  been  justly  called 
"one  of  the  architectural  gems  of  the  world." 

Thence  they  proceeded  to  the  great  manufactory  where  To- 
ledo blades,  as  well  as  arms  of  all  kinds — the  machinery  moved 
by  the  waters  of  the  Tagus — are  still  made  to  perfection. 

The  Churches,  surrounded  by  the  mass  of  the  mediaeval  city 
— the  Bridge,  the  Market-place,  and  the  Cathedral,  rival  of  Se- 
ville's glory,  next  challenged  attention.  The  clergy  of  the 
Cathedral  displayed  the  wondrous  silver,  some  of  which  dates 
from  the  tenth  century,  miracles  of  art,  when  art  was  at  its  best, 
and  opened  shrines  and  reliquaries,  seldom  seen  or  heard  of, 
which  have  escaped  heathen  and  Christian  pillage,  for  the  Prince's 
inspection. 

After  an  interesting  drive  through  the  old  and  tortuous 
streets  they  went  to  the  Alcazar,  converted  by  King  Alfonso  into 
a  military  college,  where  400  students  are  educated  on  the  Wool- 
wich system. 

The  special  train  arrived  at  Madrid  soon  after  5  P.  M.  The 
Princes  dined  with  the  King,  and  afterwards  went  to  the  Opera, 
where  Aida  was  performed  to  a  house  crowded  from  floor  to 
ceiling  with  all  Madrid  could  show  of  rank  and  beauty — and  both 
still  are  left  to  her. 

After  the  Opera,  the   King  and  the  Princes  went  to  the  ball 


486  THE   PRINCE   OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

given  by  the  "  Dukes  "  Fernan  Nunez  (/'.  ^.,  the  Duke  and  the 
Duchess)  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  The  ball  was  in  all  respects 
a  great  display  of  the  luxury,  refinement,  splendor,  and  wealth, 
of  the  noblesse  of  Spain,  and  remarkable  for  the  grace  and  beauty 
of  many  of  the  ladies,  whose  presence  adorned  the  magnificent 
salons. 

April  2*1. — In  the  forenoon  the  Prince  paid  another  visit  to 
the  Picture  Gallery,  where  he  remained  until  it  was  time  to  re- 
turn to  the  Palace  to  prepare  for  the  grand  review.  The  Duke 
of  Connaught  visited  the  Armory  and  the  interesting  and  beauti- 
fully kept  Museum  of  Artillery.  The  latter  is  especially  rich  in 
armor  of  the  time  and  of  the  person  of  Philip  II.  and  of  Charles 
V.,  trophies  from  the  battle  of  Lepanto,  a  suit  of  mail  of  Colum- 
bus, swords  of  Cortes,  of  El  Gran  Capitan,  and  many  beautiful 
and  curious  arms.  Three  stands  of  English  colors  were  among 
the  trophies  on  the  walls.  The  sword  which  Francis  I.  surren- 
dered at  Pavia  was  carried  off  by  the  French  in  1808,  and  is 
represented  by  a  fac-simile. 

At  2  o'clock  all  Madrid  was  in  the  streets  or  in  the  windows 
of  the  houses.  It  was  a  fete  day.  Shops  were  shut  and  all 
business  suspended.  In  the  capital  of  a  nation  which  has  just 
escaped  from  the  horrors  of  civil  war  after  hard-fought  battles, 
in  which  for  weary  months  Spaniards  stood  face  to  face  with 
Spaniards,  where  wounded  soldiers  hobbling  about  the  streets, 
war  medals  and  ribands  on  many  breasts,  attest  the  fact,  it  \vas 
strange  to  observe  the  general  gayety  and  abandon  of  the  crowd. 
The  people  were  packed  as  closely  as  they  could  stand  long  be- 
fore the  time  fixed,  quiet  and  orderly,  waiting  patiently  for  the 
march-past.  The  troops  were  drawn  up  on  the  Prado  under  a 
pure  blue  sky  and  warm  sun  worthy  of  India. 

At  2  o'clock  King  Alfonso,  in  the  uniform  of  a  Spanish  Gen- 
eral, the  Prince  in  Field-Marshal's  uniform,  the  Duke  of  Con- 
naught  in  the  uniform  of  the  yth  Hussars,  preceded  by  cavalry, 
attended  by  the  Generals  Caballos,  Prima  del  Rivera,  Echagues, 
San  Roman,  Cotoner,  Makenna,  Zapatero,  Rinzdana,  Azcarraga, 
Beaumont,  Ping,  Salavera,  and  followed  by  a  brilliant  Etat- 


GRAND    REVIEW.  48? 

Major,  rode  down  the   Prado,  which  was  lined  by  the  cavalry, 
infantry,  and  artillery  assembled  for  the  Royal  inspection. 

The  review  was  the  most  remarkable  military  display  which 
the  young  King  has  seen  since  the  clay  he  entered  Madrid.  The 
force  consisted  of  four  regiments  of  cavalry,  four  battalions  of 
engineers,  one  battalion  of  civil  guard,  fourteen  battalions  of  the 
line,  one  of  artillery,  and  eighty  guns.  The  first  division  (Var- 
gos)  extended  from  the  Obelisk  de  la  Castalana  to  the  Cibeles 
Fountains.  The  second  (Terreros)  from  the  Botanic  Gardens 
to  the  Gate  Atocha.  The  cavalry,  under  the  Count  de  Combres 
Altas,  from  the  Gate  of  Atocha  to  the  Canal ;  the  artillery  (Gen- 
eral Prat)  from  the  Alcala  Gate  to  the  Prado.  The  second 
division  was  formed  of  the  3d  regiment  of  Grenadiers,  the  regi- 
ment of  Grenada,  and  the  battalion  of  the  Cagadores  of  Manilla. 
The  cavalry  consisted  of  the  regiments  "  Del  Rey,  Reina," 
"  Pavia,"  and  "  Alfonso  the  Twelfth."  The  wheeled  artillery 
was  formed  in  column  from  the  Porte  of  Alcala,  with  mountain 
artillery  between  the  "  Obelisk  of  the  2d  May  "  and  the  Museum. 
The  defile  was  a  very  striking  spectacle.  No  one  who  has  de- 
rived his  impressions  of  Spain  from  the  Stock  Exchange,  Cuban 
insurrections,  Carlist  wars,  or  recent  European  history,  can  realize 
the  grandeur  that  clings  to  the  old  Catholic  Monarchy,  and  the 
strength  of  the  military  spirit  which  so  often  placed  Spain  at  the 
mercy  of  •& pronuriciamiento.  In  all  that  refers  to  the  ordering  of 
a  military  show  the  review  was  perfect.  First  came  the  Pala- 
freneros  of  the  Palace  and  the  Royal  Guard,  the  escort  of  the 
generals,  the  Regiments  of  Manila,  Ciudad  Rodrigo,  and  Cata- 
lano,  of  the  first  division.  The  Chasseur  battalions  were  well 
received.  After  the  infantry  next  came  Engineers  and  Telegraph 
Companies ;  then  the  mountain  batteries  (pieces  of  four),  one 
mule  carrying  the  wheels,  one  the  limber,  one  the  carriage,  and 
one  the  caisson  or  tumbril,  36  pieces  in  all ;  then  the  Chasseurs  j 
after  which  the  Guardia  Civil,  1400  strong,  in  picturesque  uni- 
form— cocked  hats  with  white  borders,  blue  coats  with  red 
breasts,  white  pantaloons,  black  gaiters,  whose  appearance  could 
not  be  easily  surpassed.  Next  came  the  light  and  heavy  artillery, 


488  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

Krupp  guns,  drawn  by  very  fine  mules,  a  total  force  of  80  pieces. 
After  these,  regiments  of  cavalry.  The  Princess  of  the  Asturias 
sat  in  the  balcony  of  a  house  near  the  Ministry  of  War. 

It  was  near  5  o'clock  before  the  review  was  over,  and  the 
King  and  the  Princes  returned  to  the  Palace  at  8.  After  the 
review  the  Prince  visited  the  Countess  of  Montijo.  There  was 
another  State  banquet  at  the  Palace  at  night. 

April  2%.*—  At  11.20  the  King  with  his  Royal  guests,  set  out 
in  travelling  dress  for  the  Escurial.  Special  train,  of  course. 
It  was  very  cold ;  the  snow-covered  ranges  of  the  Guadamarara 
gave  an  Alpine  aspect  to  the  plains,  beyond  which  rose  a  line  of 
hills,  whereon  the  great  bulk  of  the  Escurial,  resembling  a  trun- 
cated pyramid,  could  be  presently  discerned.  Patrols  of  civil 
guard  were  placed  at  intervals  along  the  line.  There  was  no 
crowd  at  the  stations,  nor,  for  the  matter  of  that,  did  there  seem 
any  considerable  population,  Villa  Alba,  which  we  passed  at 
12.20,  being  the  most  extensive  hamlet  within  sight.  The  coun- 
try put  one  in  mind  of  the  least  cultivated  parts  of  Kerry. 
Fields,  surrounded  by  stone  walls,  broke  the  monotony  of  rocky 
expanses,  sometimes  covered  with  scrub-wood,  occasionally  quite 
destitute  even  of  so  much  verdure.  The  aspect  of  the  country 
so  black  as  to  give  the  impression  of  a  peat-moor,  over  which 
the  roads  ran  like  white  ribands,  caused  us  to  wonder  that  any 
one  could  have  selected  such  a  site  for  a  palace,  until  we  thought 
of  the  character  of  the  man  who  had  reared  the  Escurial.  Cer- 
tainly he  could  have  offered  the  excuse  that  there  was  plenty  of 
stone  close  at  hand  for  the  building.  Within  half  a  mile  of  the 
Palace  there  are  some  poplars,  white  houses,  red  tiled  roofs,  and 
a  red  church,  with  two  steeples.  At  12.35  tne  train  stopped  at 
the  end  of  the  journey.  A  crowd  of  600  or  700  people  and  the 
authorities  were  waiting ;  outside  the  station  were  Royal  car- 
riages, remarkable  for  the  beauty  of  the  ancient  trappings.  The 
harness  of  the  mules  was  made  of  silk,  and  the  housings  and 
mountings  very  remarkable  and  curious.  Outside  the  Palace  a 
guard  of  honor  was  mounted  by  cadets  and  pupils  of  the  Military 
School  founded  on  the  principle  of  the  Theresianum  at  Vienna. 


THE   ESCURIAL.  489 

King  Alfonso  acted  as  guide  through  the  immense  pile — a  palace, 
a  cemetery,  a  library,  and  a  museum — where  the  sombre  soul  of 
Philip  II.  seems  to  brood  in  monumental  granite.  Little  more 
than  300  years  old,  the  Escurial  appears  to  be  as  far  removed 
from  our  times  as  the  Parthenon  or  the  Serapeum,  yet  the  massive 
blocks  of  stone  are  so  fresh  that  they  .are  not  incongruous  with 
the  marble  slabs  which  stone-masons  are  fitting  to-day  to  the 
sides  of  a  new  cemetery  destined  for  the  Princes  and  Princesses 
of  Spain  who  have  not  reigned. 

It  was  so  cold  in  the  gloomy  halls  and  vast  corridors  that  the 
King  requested  all  to  keep  on  their  hats.  Although  La  Hous- 
saye  destroyed  or  carried  away  enormous  quantities  of  relics, 
plate,  and  objects  of  art,  the  Escurial  is  still  a  wonderful  mine  of 
most  valuable  and  interesting  books,  manuscripts,  and  tapestry. 
The  Royal  party  inspected  the  chapel  in  which,  as  all  the  world 
is  erroneously  told,  Philip  heard  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lepanto 
without  emotion  ;  the  place  in  which  he  was  told  of  his  great 
reverse  ;  the  crypt  in  which  he  lingered  and  died  ;  the  dread 
mausoleum  in  which  are  ranged  sarcophagi  of  the  Kings  of 
Spain,  beginning  with  that  of  Charles  V.,  Emperor  and  King, 
and  ending  with  that  of  Ferdinand  VII.  There  is  one  prepared 
wherein  may  repose  the  remains  of  the  crownless  Queen  now  in 
exile.  Beneath  it  is  a  marble  tomb,  which  the  young  King 
pointed  out  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  saying,  "There  is  where  I 
shall  lie  one  day." 

With  the  exception  of  a  short  interval  for  refreshment  in  one 
of  the  rooms  of  the  Palace,  the  day  was  spent  wandering  over 
the  Escurial.  At  lunch  the  King  spoke  with  much  feeling  of  his 
English  comrades,  of  his  instructors,  and  of  his  friends  at  Sand- 
hurst. "  I  might  be  tried  as  a  deserter  if  they  could  catch  me," 
said  he,  "  for  I  went  away  on  leave  of  absence,  but  I  came  on  to 
Madrid,  and  I  never  returned  to  duty."  At  4.30  p.  M.  the 
special  train  started  amid  loud  cheers  from  the  young  cadets 
and  students,  and  in  an  hour  reached  Madrid.  Here  the  train 
to  the  north  was  waiting,  and  the  King  and  Prince  bade  good- 
by  to  the  Duke  of  Connaught,  who,  accompanied  by  Lord 


4QO          THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

Gordon  Lennox  and  Mr.  FitzGerald,  started  for  Paris  en  route 
for  England. 

When  the  Prince  returned  to  the  Palace,  he  found  the  grand 
corridor  which  surrounds  the  inner  court,  hung  with  the  most 
magnificent  tapestries — Italian,  Flemish,  French,  and  Spanish — 
which  had  been  taken  out  of  their  lurking-places  by  order  of  the 
King,  and  suspended  over  the  doors  on  one  side,  and  over  the 
windows  on  the  other,  that  the  Prince  might  see  them.  This 
corridor  is  rectangular,  and  runs  over  the  corridors  on  the  ground- 
floor  ;  and  each  side  is  probably  sixty  yards  long.  On  one  side 
are  the  entrances  to  the  staircases  and  suites  of  apartments. 
The  other  sides  ".give  "  on  the  court ;  and  as  the  winters  are 
coid,  and  the  springs  not  always  genial  there,  it  has  been  found 
desirable  to  place  glass  doors  and  windows  on  the  outer  side,  so 
as  to  form  a  protected  walk.  These  marble  alleys  are  guarded 
by  halberdiers  in  picturesque  uniform,  with  an  air  of  intense 
respectability.  They  have  something  to  guard.  From  end  to 
end  each  of  these  four  sides  was  lined  with  pieces  of  tapestry, 
some  of  vast  size — 30  or  40  feet  long  by  20  high — tacked  side 
by  side  as  close  as  they  can  hang.  There  are  at  least  eighty 
pieces  up  at  present.  Some  of  these  are  said  by  competent 
judges  to  be  worth  thousands  of  pounds  sterling.  When  these 
pieces  were  put  up  it  was  naturally  supposed  that  they  were  all 
the  Palace  could  boast  of,  except  such  as  were  fixed  in  the 
Royal  apartments.  But  there  are,  it  seems,  many  more.  "  How 
many  ?  Twice  ?  "  "  Yes  ;  many  more  than  twice."  "  Ten 
times  as  many  ?"  "Oh  dear,  yes  !"  "What!  more  than  800 
pieces  of  tapestry  ?  "  "  Oh,  yes  !  There  are  2500  pieces,  many 
finer  than  these  !  "  Cosas  de  Espafia,  indeed.  But  very  mag- 
nificent. There  are  four  large  pieces,  for  example,  before  my 
room,  each  of  which  is  a  large  page  from  the  history  of  Alexan- 
der ;  but  there  were  once  six.  The  two  missing  pieces  have  been 
discovered  in  Vienna,  but  no  one  knows  how  they  found  their 
way  there.  When  the  figure  of  St.  Anthony  was  cut  out  of  the 
glorious  Murillo  in  the  Cathedral  at  Seville,  and  was  traced  to 
New  York,  one  might  guess  at  the  nature  of  the  motive-power 


THE    PALACE    LIBRARY.  49 1 

which  led  to  the  robbery  ;  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  imagine  how 
two  great  pieces  of  tapestry  could  have  been  taken  out  of  the 
Royal  Palace  at  Madrid  and  conveyed  to  Vienna,  at  a  time  long 
subsequent  to  any  connection  between  Austria  and  Spain,  except 
that  which  was  thus  so  strangely  established. 

In  the  evening  the  King  and  the  Prince  honored  Mr.  Layard 
with  their  presence  at  dinner,  and  at  a  ball  afterwards  at  the 
British  Legation.  Next  day  all  Madrid  talked  with  wonder  of 
the  presence  of  a  King  of  Spain  at  the  house  of  a  foreign  Min- 
ister. 

April  29.  —  This  Palace  contains  an  exquisite  chapel,  to 
which  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family  and  Household  repair 
every  morning  for  mass.  There  is  also  a  library  of  vast  extent 
and  value,  but  in  considerable  disorder  as  yet,  for  the  librarian, 
a  most  obliging  and  learned  gentleman,  recently  appointed,  has 
only  commenced  his  work  of  arrangement  and  classification.  A 
glance  at  the  old  catalogue,  however,  reveals  the  existence  of 
many  treasures,  and  some  "Hours"  belonging  to  Charles  V., 
Philip  I.  and  II.,  &c.,  are  most  exquisite  specimens  of  missal 
illumination  and  binding.  I  suspect  there  are  great  discoveries 
to  be  made  in  the  sea  of  shelves  piled  up  room  after  room  in 
the  lower  story  of  the  huge  edifice.  Then  the  Armory  is  another 
joy  for  ever,  such  as  Sir  Samuel  Meyrick  or  good  Mr.  Planche 
would  have  exceedingly  rejoiced  to  see.  Ford  scarcely  does 
justice  to  the  rare  and  charming  things  which  are  enshrined  in 
the  Armeria  and  other  national  establishments,  but  in  matters  of  art 
he  is  quite  excellent.  The  Prince  permitted  nothing  to  escape, 
and  in  the  young  King  he  has  an  indefatigable  and  enthusiastic 
cicerone.  An  old  courtier  of  Phillip  II.  would  have  died,  or 
fainted  at  the  least,  could  he  have  met  the  King  of  Spain  walk- 
ing about  the  stables  in  a  shooting-jacket  and  "pot  hat,"  with  a 
gentleman  in  similar  costume,  who  was  heir  to  the  Crown  of 
England.  The  Royal  coach-houses  are  filled  with  vehicles,  which 
excel  those  of  Vienna  in  cumbrous  magnificence  \  and  there  may 
be  among  them  the  carriage  in  which  "  Jack  and  Tom  "  set  out 
from  the  Earl  of  Bristol's  to  the  first  interview  with  the  Infanta 


4Q2  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

in  that  romantic  expedition  of  "  Baby  Charles."  The  jewels 
which  the  thrifty  James  did  not  scruple  to  send  to  Madrid,  valued 
then  at  150,0007.,  seem  to  have  "left  not  a  rack  behind."  Poor 
Infanta  !  Hapless  Charles  !  There  is  something  very  touching 
in  the  simple  remark  of  the  Princess,  "  Had  he  loved  me  he 
would  not  have  quitted  me  !  "  The  results  of  a  happier  ending 
to  that  wooing  may  well  exercise  the  fancy.  After  a  day  of  com- 
parative quiet,  and  some  hours  spent  in  examining  objects  of 
interest,  the  Prince  of  Wales  drove  out  and  paid  visits  to  Mar- 
shal Serrano,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Sesto  (rejoicing  rather 
in  the  title  and  name  of  Marquess  and  Marchioness  of  Alcan- 
i£es),  Senor  Canovas  del  Castillo,  and  the  Duchess  of  Montijo. 
He  also  attended  a  sitting  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  (Cortes), 
where  a  solemn  debate  on  some  Railway  Bill  was  proceeding 
with  great  dignity,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  most 
eminent  orators  and  members,  for  the  house  happened  to  be  very 
full.  After  dinner  at  the  Palace,  the  King  and  Prince  went  to 
the  Theatre,  where  they  saw  the  only  "  bull-fight "  which  it  was 
permitted  his  Royal  Highness  to  witness  in  Spain.  "Pepe 
Hillo  "  was  but  a  mockery  and  a  mimicry.  The  bull  was  a 
sham,  and  the  horses  were  not  real ;  but,  what  was  best  of  all  to 
see,  there  was  a  seguidilla  charmingly  danced  by  a  beautiful  and 
graceful  girl,  who  received  well-deserved  compliments.  Then 
came  a  ball  of  a  very  stately  kind,  given  by  los  duques  de  Bailen 
(the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bailen),  at  their  fine  Palace  of  Portu- 
galete,  v  here  the  King  and  his  Royal  visitor  were  received  by  all 
that  was  distinguished  in  Madrid,  the  last  festivity  in  honor  of 
the  Prince,  which  brought  his  pleasant  sojourn  to  a  fitting  con- 
clusion. 

April 30. — A  forenoon  of  adieux,  and  reception  of  friend- 
ly visits. 

At  3  P.  M.  the  Prince  left  the  Palace  for  the  Railway  Station, 
where  a  special  train  was  in  readiness,  for  Lisbon.  King  Alfonso 
drove  the  Prince  to  the  Station  in  an  open  carriage,  wkh  postil- 
lions in  uniforms  of  blue  and  crimson.  The  suite  followed  in 
three  four-horsed  Royal  carriages.  The  King  and  Prince  were 


DEPARTURE    FROM    MADRID.  493 

met  at  the  station  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Layard,  Sefior  Elduayen,  and 
others.  All  the  travellers  were  in  plain  clothes.  There  was  no 
crowd  at  the  station.  The  Civil  Governor  of  Madrid,  the  Duke 
of  Sesto,  and  other  Spanish  nobles  accompanied  the  Royal 
party.  The  Prince  shook  hands  warmly  with  the  King,  the  Duke 
of  Sesto,  Mrs.  Layard,  General  Velasco,  Senor  Elduayen,  Sir 
John  Walsham,  and  others,  bowing  repeatedly  to  those  on  the 
platform  as  the  train  moved  off.  "  The  Prince  carries  away  a 
most  pleasant  remembrance  of  his  visit."  Among  the  many  of 
the  King's  suite  who  did  so  much  to  make  the  English  strangers 
comfortable,  the  Marquis  of  Alcaniges  and  the  Count  Morphy 
must  not  be  forgotten.  Mr.  Layard  came  on  to  Aranjuez,  where 
he  took  leave  of  his  Royal  Highness.  The  train  arrived  at  Man- 
zanares  La  Mancha  at  7.15  P.M.,  and,  after  a  short  halt,  went 
very  smoothly  all  night. 

May  i. — Passing  Badajos  station  at  6.30  A.M.  some  were 
aware  of  band  playing,  of  a  crowd,  and  of  a  detachment  of  the 
omnipresent  Civil  Guard  drawn  up  on  the  platform.  Nothing 
was  to  be  seen  of  the  famous  fortification  until  the  train  had 
passed  out  of  the  station,  when,  looking  back,  one  could  make 
out  part  of  the  fort,  with  a  flag-staff  above  it,  the  houses  of  the 
town  below,  and  a  church  steeple,  beyond  which  lay  a  hill,  which 
appeared  as  if  it  were  powdered  with  snow.  This  resolved  itself 
subsequently  into  the  town  of  Elvas,  where  we  saw  a  crowd  of 
burly,  apathetic-looking  country  people,  their  heads  bound  round 
with  red  kerchiefs,  as  if  they  had  just  got  out  of  bed,  and  appar- 
ently waiting  on  business,  not  curiosity ;  differing  very  much  in 
appearance  from  the  smaller,  more  excitable-looking  Spaniards, 
and,  indeed,  not  very  well-favored  or  intelligent  looking.  At 
1 1. 10  A.  M.  crossed  the  Tagus,  and  entered  upon  scenery  of  much 
softer  and  more  interesting  character  than  that  of  the  country 
outside  Madrid.  The  British  Minister  and  the  Portuguese  Min- 
ister, the  Viscount  de  Sagres,  and  officers,  sent  to  welcome  the 
Prince,  were  waiting  at  Entroncamento,  where  there  was  lunch, 
and  a  halt  for  half  an  hour.  At  3.30  p.  M.  the  train  arrived  at 
Lisbon.  King  Louis,  who  wore  the  uniform  of  a  Portuguese 


494  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

Admiral,  with  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Tower  and  Sword,  and 
the  Titular  King  Don  Fernando  in  the  uniform  of  a  Portuguese 
Field-Marshal  General,  with  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  three  Portu- 
guese Orders,  were  waiting  to  receive  his  Royal  Highness,  and 
gave  him  a  very  warm  greeting.  The  ministers,  the  principal 
authorities,  the  British  admirals,  Seymour  and  Phillimore,  and 
the  officers  of  the  fleet  in  the  Tagus,  the  diplomatic  and  consular 
officers,  and  a  large  assemblage  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  who 
were  admitted  on  the  platform,  also  welcomed  the  Prince.  In 
the  Railway  Station  some  500  ladies  were  seated  on  rows  of 
chairs,  and  rose  to  wave  their  handkerchiefs.  The  windows  were 
crowded.  The  Band  of  the  5th  Cagadores  played  "  God  save 
the  Queen."  The  Portuguese  aides-de-camp  and  officers  were 
presented  to  the  Prince — Senhor  Fontes,  President  of  the  Council, 
the  Minister  of  Finance,  Senhor  Andrade  Corso,  Minister  of 
Foreign  Affairs,  Senhor  Serpa  Pimentel,  Senhor  Cardoso 
Avelino,  Minister  of  Public  Works,  &c.,  &c.  The  King  and 
Prince  drove  slowly  through  the  streets,  which  were  lined  with 
all  the  available  troops. 

There  was  no  display  of  flags  in  the  city.  There  was  no 
triumphal  arch.  There  was  not  a  "  welcome,"  or  a  single  ban- 
ner. There  was  not,  as  far  as  I  heard,  what  would  pass  muster 
in  the  smallest  English  village  for  a  cheer.  Nevertheless,  the 
reception  was  most  gratifying.  Standing  closely  packed  for  at 
least  two  miles  in  the  streets,  which  they  crowded  so  as  just  to 
leave  room  for  the  carnages  to  pass,  the  good  people  of  Lisbon, 
and  of  the  country  round,  waited  in  the  hot  sun  till  the  Prince 
arrived,  and,  as  he  passed  along  almost  within  a  hand's-breadth 
of  the  front  ranks  of  men  and  women," the  former  uncovered  their 
heads,  and  the  latter  waved  their  handkerchiefs,  or  showed,  by 
their  best  smiles,  how  glad  they  were  to  see  the  Heir  of  the 
Throne  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  The  ships  of  the  squad- 
ron in  the  Tagus  saluted  with  excellent  effect  as  soon  as  the 
cortege  came  in  sight.  Arrived  at  the  Palace  of  Ajuda,  the 
King  presented  his  ministers  and  officers  to  the  Prince,  who  in 
turn  presented  his  suite  to  their  Majesties.  His  Majesty  looks 


THE  PALACE  OF  BELEM.  495 

younger  than  he  is  (thirty-eight),  and,  like  many  other  members 
of  the  illustrious  House  of  Coburg,  has  light  hair  and  blue  eyes. 
He  takes  an  active  part  in  the  work  of  Government,  has  seen 
much  of  the  world,  is  a  good  naturalist  (versed  especially  in 
ornithology),  a  friend  of  the  arts,  favorable  to  the  emancipation 
of  commerce  from  all  imposts  which  are  not  absolutely  needed  for 
revenue,  and  anxious  to  abolish  as  far  as  possible  all  traces  of  the 
protective  policy  which  was  so  much  in  vogue  in  Portugal — as  in 
other  places — a  short  time  ago.  The  Prince  Royal  and  the  In- 
fante Dom  Affonso  are  nice-looking  lads,  with  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  their  Royal  mother,  who  is  as  like  to  King  Victor  Em- 
manuel as  a  comely  lady  with  a  profusion  of  blonde  crepe  hair 
and  of  refined  presence  can  be  to  El  Re  Galantuomo.  Prince 
Ferdinand  of  Saxe-Coburg,  a  man  of  taste  and  letters,  quite 
gained  the  hearts  of  all  the  visitors  by  his  extraordinary  pleasant- 
ness, kindness  and  bonhomie ;  and  they  all  agree  that  a  more 
gracious,  agreeable,  and  witty  Prince  was  not  met  with  on  their 
travels  than  the  very  tall  gentlemen  who  reminds  one  a  little  of 
Napoleon  III.,  and  a  little  of  Don  Quixote — as  drawn  by  Dore 
— and  who  is  able  to  talk  in  nearly  if  not  all  the  languages  of 
Europe.  The  party  proceeded  to  the  Palace  of  Belem,  where 
the  Prince  and  his  suite  were  quartered  comfortably,  and  spent 
the  evening  quietly. 

May  2. — There  came,  this  forenoon,  a  deputation  of  British 
subjects  to  Belem  with  an  address,  which  the  Prince  received. 
The  King  arrived  after  lunch,  and  had  a  long  conversation  with 
members  of  the  suite. 

The  concert  at  the  San  Carlos  in  honor  of  the  Prince  gave  a 
good  opportunity  to  the  Portuguese  ladies  of  showing  their  toi- 
lettes, diamonds,  fine  hair  and  eyes  to  advantage,  of  which  they 
availed  themselves  very  generally.  The  aspect  of  the  theatre  was 
bright  and  beautiful  ;  and  when  the  Kings,  de facto  and  Titular, 
the  Queen,  the  Princes,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  ministers  and 
officers  of  the  Court,  and  noblemen  and  gentlemen  were  seated  in 
the  Royal  box,  which  occupies  the  centre  of  the  grand  tier,  the 
spectacle  presented  by  the  audience  flashing  with  brilliants  and 


496  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

blazing  in  State  uniforms,  lace  and  orders,  was  as  fair  a  gala 
theatre  as  could  well  be  witnessed. 

May  3. — The  Prince  paid  a  visit  to  the  Convent  of  Bon 
Secours  (Bom  Soccorso),  near  at  hand,  this  forenoon,  and  was 
much  gratified  by  the  arrangements.  He  was  conducted  over 
the  rooms  and  gardens  by  Father  Smyth,  and  was  entertained 
by  the  performance  of  one  of  the  nuns,  who  sang  "  Kathleen 
Mavourneen"  to  a  harp  accompaniment  very  tenderly.  The 
ladies  are  principally  from  Ireland.  In  the  afternoon  the  Prince 
gave  lunch  on  board  the  Serapis  to  Uom  Ferdinand  and  a  small 
party,  and  then  he  led  them  on  a  visit  to  the  iron-clads.  After 
dinner  at  Belem  the  Prince  and  the  party  attended  a  grand  Ball 
given  by  the  King  and  Queen  at  the  Palace  of  Ajuda. 

May  4. — An  interesting  excursion  to  Cintra — the  Prince 
taking  one  party  to  the  Chateau  of  King  Ferdinand — Lord  Suf- 
field,  General  Probyn,  Sir  J.  Fayrer,  Mr.  Knollys,  Mr.  Hall  and 
I,  being  directed  to  visit  the  Viscount  of  Montserrat,  an  English 
gentleman,  who  has  a  pretty  country  house  on  the  side  of  a  hill 
some  distance  below  the  peak  on  which  the  Royal  castle  is 
perched.  The  villa  commands  a  charming  prospect,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  well  laid-out  grounds  ;  but  the  combination  of  mod- 
ern furniture  in  the  halls  and  rooms  of  Saracenic  architecture  is 
scarcely  pleasing.  The  Prince  drove  off  at  10.30  A.  M.  The 
second  party  at  11.15  A.  M. — the  carriages  drawn  by  mules.  It  is 
a  pleasant  drive  of  28  kilometres  ;  but  at  some  distance,  the  road 
was  broken,  and  our  party  had  to  leave  the  carriages  and  walk. 
The  visitors  were  delighted,  and  after  spending  a  very  agreeable 
day,  returned  to  Belem  to  dinner  at  7  P.  M.  The  city  and  the 
heights  on  both  sides  of  the  Tagus  were  illuminated  at  night, 
there  was  a  grand  display  of  fireworks  from  the  fleets,  in  which 
the  heavens  joined  with  thunder  and  lightning. 

May  5. — The  day  was  observed  as  a  complete  holiday.  At 
3  P.  M.  the  King  came  down  the  Tagus  and  visited  the  Prince 
at  Belem  Palace.  The  Royal  galley  was  rowed  by  eight  oars- 
men, and  there  were  two  State  galleys  for  the  suite.  The  fleet 
manned  yards  and  saluted  as  the  Royal  flags  passed. 


LISBON.  497 

The  King  and  the  Prince  then  went  on  board  the  galleys  off 
the  stairs,  and  landed  at  the  Arsenal,  whence  they  proceeded, 
mounted  on  horseback,  through  crowded  streets  to  the  Dom 
Pedro  Square,  to  inspect  the  greatest  assemblage  of  troops 
ever  seen  in  Portugal.  The  march-past  began  at  5  p.  M., 
and  occupied  over  an  hour  and  a  quarter.  The  artillery 
was  very  good,  comprising  upwards  of  one  hundred  guns, 
mostly  Krupp,  and  mountain  artillery  drawn  by  fine  mules.  The 
cavalry  consisted  of  a  regiment  of  Lancers,  two  regiments  of 
Hussars  (one  regiment  very  good),  a  brigade  of  Rifles,  and  two 
brigades  of  infantry.  The  Rifles  were  smart-looking  and  sol- 
dierly; but  the  ground  was  most  unfavorable  for  a  march-past, 
being  only  one  side  of  a  small  square,  on  which  the  immense 
crowd  closed  in,  notwithstanding  the  efforts  of  the  police  and 
soldiery. 

At  8.30  P.  M.  the  King,  Prince  of  Wales  and  a  distinguished 
party  dined  with  Admiral  Seymour  on  board  the  Minotaur.  The 
King,  in  a  well-turned  speech,  proposed  the  health  of  Queen 
Victoria.  As  the  toast  was  being  drunk  the  Black  Prince  fired 
a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns.  Then  the  Prince  of  Wales  proposed 
the  health  of  the  King  of  Portugal,  on  which  the  Resistance  fired 
a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns.  When  the  health  of  the  Prince  was 
proposed  by  the  King,  the  Black  Prince  saluted.  On  the  Royal 
party  leaving  the  Minotaur,  the  ships  lighted  up,  and  rockets 
were  discharged  from  the  fleefwith  beautiful  effect. 

May  6. — The  Portuguese  bands  are  very  "  brassy,"  and  the 
smart  regiment  on  duty  at  Belem  has  one  of  the  most  effective ; 
so  that  what  with  the  playing  of  the  national  air  of  Portugal,  the 
fanfares,  various  other  musical  exercitations,  when  important 
visitors  come  and  go,  the  courtyard  and  corridors  are  resonant 
from  an  early  hour  in  the  morning.  The  Marquis  of  Souza- 
Holstein  was  kind  enough  to  take  me  to -see  many  most  interest- 
ing institutions.  I  was  particularly  entertained  and  instructed 
by  the  treasures  in  Torre  de  Tombo,  in  the  vast  pile  of  the  old 
convent  of  St.  Bento,  which  now  accommodates  the  two  Houses 
of  Parliament  and  contains  the  national  archives.  The  collec- 

32 


498  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES*    TOUR. 

tion  of  early  charts,  especially  of  Africa  and  the  East  Indies,  is 
admirable.  One  of  these,  of  the  fifteenth  century,  gives  what 
looks  like  an  exact  representation  of  Lake  Nyanza.  The  records 
of  the  Inquisition,  the  banners  with  the  motto,  "  Exurge  Deus," 
&c.,  the  former  filling  immense  rooms,  are  to  be  seen  in  perfect 
order.  I  read  the  process  of  the  last  act  of  the  Holy  Office  at 
Coimbra,  in  which  a  nun  was  accused  of  having  given  way  to 
Jewish  practices,  of  keeping  Friday  holy,  refusing  certain  food, 
&c.,  for  which  it  would  seem  she  suffered  death  ;  but  it  was  ex- 
plained to  me  very  particularly  that  the  officers  of  the  Inquisition 
did  not  inflict  the  punishments.  The  civil  power  was  called  on 
to  punish  a  crime,  and  those  condemned  of  heresy  were  merely 
handed  over  by  the  ecclesiastical  tribunal  to  meet  the  legal  con- 
sequences of  their  guilt !  The  National  Printing  Office  and  the 
Academy  are  admirably  conducted. 

There  was  an  extraordinary  gathering  of  vehicles  and  people 
at  the  Races.  All  Lisbon  was  out  on  the  Royal  Belem  course  ; 
many  glad  of  a  holiday  to  see  the  Royal  personages,  some  interested 
in  a  new  sport — a  very  great  concourse,  who  remained  all  day 
under  a  hot  sun  and  in  a  cold  wind,  quite  happy  and  contented. 
The  King  conferred  decorations  on  the  Prince's  suite. 

The  banquet  at  the  Palace  of  Ajuda  was  very  brilliant. 
Covers  were  laid  for  one  hundred  guests  on  tables  glittering  with 
the  plate  of  the  House  of  Braganza.  It  was  nearly  half-past 
nine  when  the  Prince  led  the  Queen  to  the  Banqueting-hall,  fol- 
lowed by  the  King,  King  Ferdinand,  the  Infante,  Ministers  of 
State,  Admirals,  Foreign  Ministers,  and  Corps  Diplomatique. 
One  of  the  most  powerful  bands  ever  heard  was  stationed  in  the 
gallery  at  one  end  of  the  hall,  and  effectually  obviated  any  ne- 
cessity on  the  part  of  the  company  to  engage  in  conversation. 
The  King,  after  a  felicitous  allusion  to  the  Prince's  presence, 
said  there  were  three  healths  he  could  not  separate — "  Dieu 
garde  la  Reine,  votre  gradeuse  et  auguste  mere,  qifil  protege  h 
Prince  de  Galles,  et  veille  sur  la  nation  anglaise"  *  The  Prince 

*  See  Appendix. 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  DEPARTURE.  499 

of  Wales  proposed  the  health  of   the  King,  and  expressed  the 
pleasure  he  felt  at  his  visit  to  Portugal. 

May  7. — The  scene  on  the  departure  of  the  Prince  from  the 
Tagus  to-day  was  a  fitting  prelude  to  his  welcome  home.  Nothing 
could  be  more  bright  and  gay  than  the  appearance  of  Lisbon— 
the  sun  lighted  up  the  terraced  hills  which,  springing  from  the 
water's  edge,  are  lost  among  the  serrated  heights  of  Cintra. 
The  population,  ever  fond  of  holidays,  swarmed  along  the  quays, 
and  crowded  the  pier-heads.  The  Portuguese  Squadron,  and  the 
Fleet  under  Rear-Admiral  Seymour,  were  dressed.  The  vessels 
moored  in  the  river  displayed  their  national  flags. 

Having  been  the  guest  of  the  King  and  lodged  so  pleasantly 
in  his  Palace  at  Belem,  it  was  natural  that  the  Prince  should 
desire  to  receive  the  members  of  the  Royal  family  on  board  his 
own  ship  under  the  British  flag.  There  is  something  of  the  old 
maritime  grandeur  of  the  Portuguese  nation  to  be  seen  in  the 
maintenance  of  antique-looking  galleys  of  many  oars,  with  the 
rowers  dressed  in  antique  liveries,  somewhat  like  those  worn  by 
our  Thames  watermen  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  which 
are  still  used  for  Royal  occasions.  A  steam-launch — except 
when  it  is  tearing  through  the  upper  waters  of  the  Thames,  to 
the  disturbance  of  the  placid  angler  and  of  swaggering  swans 
and  to  the  great  discomfiture  of  punters  and  rowers — is  no  doubt 
a  practical,  useful  creation  ;  but  it  yields  in  all  requisites  of  state 
and  dignity  to  great  galleys  moved  by  oar,  such  as  are  still  extant 
on  the  Bosphorus  and  on  the  Tagus.  The  Prince  drove  to  the 
chapel  of  the  British  Legation,  where  Divine  service  was  per- 
formed by  the  chaplain,  Mr.  Pope.  When  service  was  over, 
the  Prince  proceeded  in  a  steam-launch  to  the  Sfrapis,  and 
was  received  with  the  usual  honors  at  12.30  p.  M.  The  ship 
looked  as  if  she  had  just  come  out  of  dock,  sides  snowy  white, 
gilding  fresh,  rigging  all  taut.  It  was  a  very  gala  day  on  board. 
There  were  guards  of  honor,  bands,  buglers  on  the  decks,  and 
officers  in  full  dress  at  the  sides  ;  and  as  the  Royal  guests  and 
Admirals  mounted  the  ladder  there  were  salutes,  flourishes,  and 
all  due  forms  and  observances  of  respect.  The  Prince  of  Wales 


5oo 


THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 


received  the  Titular  King,  his  Majesty  Dom  Ferdinand,  at  the 
top  of  the  companion,  and  was  engaged  in  conversation  with 
him  and  the  Infante  Don  Augusto  for  some  time  before  King 
Luiz  I.  and  Queen  Dona  Maria  Pia  came  alongside.  Yards 
were  manned,  the  crews  cheered,  and  salutes  were  fired  in  both 
fleets  when  the  Royal  party  embarked,  and  when  the  Portuguese 
flag  was  run  up  to  the  main  of  the  Scrapis.  A  guard  of  honor 
of  the  Royal  Marine  Light  Infantry  under  Major  Snowe  and 


JACKO  v.  JACK. 

Lieutenant  Burrowes,  the  Marine  Artillery  attachment  under 
Lieutenant  Lambert — the  Serapis  band,  were  drawn  up  to  wel- 
come their  Majesties.  Soon  after  2  o'clock  lunch  was  served, 
and  when  it  was  over  the  party  ascended  to  the  upper-deck 
saloon,  and  wandered  over  the  decks,  where  tigers,  cheetahs, 
cheetuls,  elephants,  dogs,  the  bear,  horses,  asses,  birds,  monkeys, 
displayed  teeth,  claws,  tusks,  feathers,  tails,  and  other  attractions. 
Everything  on  board  was  an  object  of  interest  to  the  Royal 


THE    TAGUS.  5<DI 

visitors.  The  two  little  elephants,  not  more  than  six  feet  high, 
were  brought  out  by  the  mahouts  with  great  gravity,  and  the 
Kings  and  Princes  proceeded  to  mount  and  to  take  a  little  ride 
round  the  deck  in  turn.  Officers  and  crew  were  delighted  that 
their  pets  afforded  so  much  gratification.  At  last  the  time  for 
parting  came.  The  Titular  King,  the  Infante  his  son,  and  their 
suite,  departed.  The  Queen,  her  sons  and  ladies  of  honor,  went 
next ;  but  the  King  still  lingered  as  if  loath  to  "part  with  his 
cousin.  At  5. 20  P.  M.  the  Prince  appeared  at  the  top  of  the  port 
ladder  with  King  Luiz.  Once  more  the  Portuguese  national 
anthem  was  played,  the  marines  presented  arms,  the  crew  on  the 
yards,  led  by  Commander  Bedford,  gave  three  good  cheers,  and 
the  King,  after  one  more  cordial  farewell,  stepped  into  a  galley 
and  went  off  to  his  corvette  to  escort  the  Royal  squadron  out  of 
the  Tagus.  The  word  was  given,  "  Undress  ship  !  Prepare  to 
slip."  The  wind  was  strong  on  the  port  bow.  There  was  a 
strong  current  and  a  tremendous  tide  running ;  it  was  full  fifteen 
minutes  before  the  Serapis  could  turn.  The  landscape  was 
beautiful.  It  was  a  very  charming  bit  of  color — such  as  Claude 
could  have  painted  and  would  have  loved.  A  large,  somewhat 
washed-out-looking  sun  descended  towards  the  sea-horizon 
through  lemon-tinted  clouds,  the  hue  of  which  came  broadening 
up  the  Tagus,  and  throwing  in  its  career  a  mellower  tinge  on  the 
tiers  of  white  houses  from  the  water's  edge  to  the  hill-tops  ; 
Belem — a  castle  made  expressly  for  Claude  to  paint — standing 
out  clearly  on  the  sea  face ;  close  at  hand  old-fashioned  boats 
and  curious  crazy-looking  craft,  galleys,  caravels  and  feluccas, 
side  by  side  with  men-of-war  in  their  pride  of  impenetrable  sides 
and  tremendous  armaments — these  would  have  suited  the  painter 
well :  nor  would  he  have  found  it  amiss,  as  flashes  of  fire  and 
curling  clouds  of  smoke  leaped  and  spirted  from  the  sides  of 
the  iron-clads.  The  Minotaur,  Black  Prince,  Triumph,  Resistance, 
Monarch,  flying  together  Portuguese  and  British  ensigns  from 
the  main-tops,  dressed  in  flags,  yards  manned,  marines  on 
quarter-decks,  moored  in  a  double  line  ;  and  the  crews  on  board 
the  Portuguese  ships,  which  were  in  excellent  order,  burst  into  a 


5<D2  THE    PRINCE    OF    WALES     TOUR. 

great  clang  of  music  and  cheers  as  the  Serapis  steamed  down 
the  lordly  avenue,  and  the  hills  of  the  Tagus  re-echoed  the 
familiar,  and  let  us  hope  always  welcome,  sounds  of  a  British 
salute.  The  Prince,  on  the  bridge,  acknowledged  the  salutes  by 
touching  his  cap  repeatedly  as  he  passed  each  ship,  and  gave  a 
friendly  wave  of  the  hand  to  Admiral  Seymour  and  his  officers  on 
the  deck  of  the  Minotaur.  At  6  P.  M.  the  Serapis,  rapidly  leaving 
the  rolling  cloud  of  smoke  and  the  cheering  sailors  astern,  was 
close  to  Belem.  The  Portuguese  corvette,  with  the  King  on 
board,  had  been  in  collision  with  the  Raleigh,  which  telegraphed, 
"  Portuguese  corvette  has  run  into  us,  and  has  I  fear  suffered 
some  damage."  The  Raleigh  was  none  the  worse  otherwise  for 
an  accident,  the  blame  of  which  may  be  shared,  if  not  divided. 
At  6.15  P.M.  the  guns  of  Belem  Castle  saluted,  Fort  St.  Julian 
followed,  just  as  it  was  getting  dusk,  and  the  Prince  was  at  last 
homeward  bound  without  any  halting-place  on  his  journey. 

May  8. — At  noon,  lat.  41°  23'  N.,  long.  9°  45'  w. ;  distance 
run  170  miles;  distance  to  Finisterre  95  miles.  About  four 
hours  before  Finisterre  was  sighted  there  came  on  a  strong 
blow  from  the  north-east,  which  mounted  to  "  6  "  at  times,  and 
up  rose  the  sea,  and  down  went  ports.  It  was  so  far  unfortunate 
that  the  change  occurred,  as  the  evening  had  been  selected  for 
the  dinner  given  by  Captain  Glyn  and  the  officers  of  the  Ser- 
apis to  the  Prince.  Mr.  Morier,  the  British  Minister,  Colonel 
Annesley,  nth  Hussars,  Colonel  Macdonell,  yist  H.  L.  I., 
Lieutenant  Gough,  loth  Hussars — to  whom  his  Royal  Highness 
gave  passages  on  board  the  Serapis — were  invited.  The  dinner- 
table  was  laid  on  the  main-deck,  in  a  space  between  the  port 
side  and  the  masts,  which  was  screened  off  by  flags,  and  the 
band  was  stationed  forward  near  the  ward-room.  Captain  Glyn, 
in  proposing  the  health  of  the  Prince,  took  occasion  to  allude 
"  to  the  interest  which  he  had  shown  in  the  officers  and  men  of 
the  ship,  and  to  the  qualities  which  had  endeared  him  to  all  on 
board.  In  the  name  of  the  officers  he  requested  the  Prince  of 
Wales  to  accept  an  album  with  photographs  of  the  ship's  officers 
and  detachments  of  the  marines  and  crew,  as  a  souvenir ;  and  as 


DINNER    TO    THE    PRINCE.  503 

the  state  of  the  sea  would  not  allow  them  to  indulge  in  Highland 
honors,  he  could  only  ask  them  to  drink  the  Prince's  health  with 
three  hearty  cheers."  This  was  done  most  enthusiastically ;  the 
book  was  handed  to  the  Prince.  He  said  "  he  did  not  require 
any  photographs  to  keep  him  in  mind  of  those  among  whom  he 
had  passed  so  many  pleasant  hours  and  days,  but  it  was  agree- 
able to  him  to  accept  such  a  proof  of  their  kindly  feelings.  They 
had  one  and  all  done  everything  in  their  power  to  promote  the  suc- 
cess of  the  voyage  and  to  contribute  to  his  comfort,  and  there  was 
not  one  of  them,  from  the  Captain  who  commanded,  down  to  the 
stokers  who  worked  at  the  furnaces,  to  whom  he  was  not  person- 
ally indebted."  The  Prince,  gave  "  the  health  of  Captain  Glyn, 
the  officers  and  men  of  the  Serapis"  and  added  to  that  toast 
"  the  health  of  Commander  Durrant,  and  of  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  Royal  yacht  Osborue,  and  the  health  of  Captain  Tryon 
and  of  the  officers  and  men  of  H.M.S.  Raleigh"  and  expressed 
his  high  sense  of  their  services.  Captain  Glyn,  in  returning 
thanks,  remarked,  that  among  other  advantages  of  the  Prince's 
tour  was  the  opportunity  of  becoming  personally  acquainted  with 
so  many  officers  of  the  Navy ;  although  the  Prince  was  a  sol- 
dier by  profession  he  had  endeared  himself  to  the  Navy  by  the 
interest  he  took  in  all  that  concerned  its  welfare.  The  Prince 
had  seen  no  less  than  four  different  squadrons  of  her  Majesty's 
Navy,  comprising  more  than  one-half  of  the  whole  fleet,  and  his 
acquaintance  with  them  could  not  but  be  a  source  of  great  satis- 
faction to  the  service.  Lord  C.  Beresford  returned  thanks  for 
the  Raleigh  and  Osborne,  and  signal  was  made  that  "  the  Prince 
drinks  to  the  health  of  the  ships,"  which  was  duly  acknowledged 
in  the  early  morning.  Then  there  were  more  toasts  and  speeches, 
music,  a  little  quadrille,  and  the  company  broke  up  and  went,  to 
bed,  all  in  the  highest  spirits,  despite  an  abominable  adverse 
wind,  and  the  premonitory  symptoms  of  what  was  to  be  expected 
in  England — violent  colds,  which  attacked  several  of  the  party. 
May  9.  —  Strong  north-east  "wind.  The  sea  high,  but  the 
Serapis  has  little  to  fear  from  the  waves  even  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
as  longj  as  they  come  at  her  right  in  front.  Her  speed,  however, 


504  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  TOUR. 

was  reduced  to  a  knot.  Lat.  44°  50'  N.,  long.  8°  43'  w. ;  Ushant 
263  miles  N.E. 

May  10. —  The  calm  of  the  voyage  home,  after  so  many 
months  of  excitement  and  tumult,  was  very  agreeable,  although 
it  was  "  enjoyed  "  in  a  wild,  cold  sea.  There  was,  however,  a 
sense  of  solitude  just  now,  for,  strange  to  say,  there  were  no 
ships  in  sight.  At  noon*  difficult  observations  gave  lat.  48°  15' 
N.,  long.  5°  30'  w.  ;  Yarmouth  220  miles  ;  Ushant  20  miles  s.w. 
At  1.15  P.M.,  the  squadron  being. abreast  of  Ushant,  the  Raleigh 
was  sent  in  to  signal,  that  the  latest  news  of  the  Royal  squadron 
might  be  transmitted  to  London,  and  then  our  course  was  shaped 
across  Channel  for  the  shores  of  Old  England.  • 

May  ii. — An  hour  after  midnight  the  welcome  light  of  the 
Start  was  made  out,  and  at  2.15  A.  M.  it  was  seen  well  on  the 
beam.  The  first  sight  which  greeted  the  eyes  of  the  early  risers 
through  their  ports  this  morning  was  the  appearance  of  a  few 
white  perpendicular  streaks  far  away  above  the  surface  of  the 
crisping  waters,  which  through  the  glass  resolved  themselves  into 
the  chalk  cliffs  near  Portland.  Shanklin  Light  was  visible  at 
7.35  A.  M.  ;  and  as  the  familiar  scene  unfolded  itself  and  grew 
nearer  and  nearer,  like  some  well-known  panorama,  every  eye 
was  strained  up  the  narrow  stretch  of  water  between  the  Isle 
of  Wight  and  the  mainland.  At  10  A.  M.  the  Alberta,  with 
the  Royal  Standard  flying,  and  a  steam  tender,  probably  the 
Pigmy,  in  attendance,  were  reported  to  be  in  sight*  It 
was  not  the  Alberta,  however,  all  the  same,  but  the  Enchantress. 
She  was  wisely  lying  at  anchor  in  comparatively  smooth  water ; 
for  the  sea  off  the  Needles  was  rough  and  tumbling.  At  10.15 
A.  M.  the  Serapis  passed  the  Needles,  and  a  little  yellow  yawl,  with 
two  men  on  board,  flying  a  red  burgee,  came  bowling  down  to 
meet  her.  One  of  these,  an  elderly  gentleman,  stood  up,  and 
cheered  so  vigorously  that  he  attracted  the  Prince's  attention, 

'  *  It  was  the  Sprightly,  which  the  Admiralty  had  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  Dr.  Birdwood,  C.  S.  I..,  who  had  been  directed  by  order  of  the  Prince  to 
board  the  Serapis  as  soon  as  possible  to  take  charge  of  the  presents.  Not 
one  package  belonging  to  the  Prince  or  his  suite  went  astray. 


WELCOME  !  505 

and  may  rest  satisfied  with  the  honor  of  being  the  first  English- 
man who  was  seen  to  welcome  his  Royal  Highness  in  British 
waters.  A  large  yacht  ran  clown  next  to  meet  us ;  but  whilst 
the  squadron  was  passing  by  the  Shingles  the  channel  was  com- 
paratively clear,  till  it  was  near  Yarmouth,  when  steamers,  laden 
with  people,  who  swarmed  like  bees  on  the  decks,  stood  out  to 
greet  the  Prince,and  almost  rubbed  their  sides  against  the  Serapis. 
The  Enchantress,  in  obedience  to  signal,  weighed  anchor  and 
steamed  towards  Yarmouth,  in  advance  of  the  Serapis,  in  quest 
of  smoother  water.  At  10.45  A-  M-  Fort  Victoria  saluted  ;  but 
somehow  the  saluting  from  ships  and  forts  was,  it  seemed  to 
those  on  board,  rather  late.  Soon  the  great  ship  approached 
the  object  on  which  all  were  gazing  intently,  which  was  quietly 
steaming  ahead.  The  Prince  was  on  the  bridge,  glass  in  hand, 
with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  Enchantress,  which  (happily  named) 
had  the  Princess'  standard  flying,  and  was  laden  with  a  precious 
burden.  By  degrees  the  Princess  of  Wales  and  her  children 
were  distinguished  amid  the  crowd  on  her  deck.  When  she  was 
close  to  Yarmouth  the  Serapis  "  slowed,"  and  the  Enchantress, 
altering  her  course,  came  down  towards  her,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
was  passing  close  on  her  port  side,  so  that  men  could  n  ake  out 
the  faces  of  those  on  board  quite  plainly.  Then  the  crew  from 
the  rigging,  the  officers  on  the  decks,  and  all  on  board  the 
Serapis,  gave  three  cheers  and  a  few  cheers  more,  which  must 
have  proved  that  their  throats,  at  all  events,  were  not  affected 
by  the  climate  of  India  ;  and  as  the  yacht  rounded  the  stern  of 
the  Serapis,  and  came  up  on  her  starboard  quarter,  so  that  every 
one  could  see  the  Princess  and  her  children  looking  up  towards 
our  deck,  men  confessed  that  they  felt  a  little  inclination  to 
gulp  clown  something  in  their  throats.  The  band  played  "  Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  the  marines  presented  arms  as  she  passed.  The 
Serapis  anchored  at  u  A.  M.,  the  barge  was  lowerQd  at  once,  and 
the  Prince  immediately  went  on  board  the  Enchantress.  It  may 
be  imagined  with  what  joy  he  was  welcomed  !  In  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  the  Princess  of  Wales  and  the  Royal  children  left  the 
yacht  and  came  on  board  the  Serapis.  The  officers  of  the  ship, 

22 


506 


THE    PRINCE   OF   WALES     TOUR. 


the  guard  of  honor  of  the  marines  and  the  band  were  drawn  up 
on  the  main-deck  facing  the  companion,  the  gentlemen  of  the 
Prince's  suite  extending  in  a  line  along  the  deck  up  to  the 
entrance  to  the  saloon.  The  Princess  had  a  gracious  smile  or  a 
pleasant  word  for  those  who  were  known  to  her  as  she  passed  to 
the  saloon.  To  the  Royal  children  the  great  ship  seemed  a 
treasure-house  of  wonder  and  delight,  for  there  were  tigers  and 
tailless  dogs,  elephants,  deer,  horses,  ostriches,  leopards,  birds, 
diminutive  ponies  and  cattle,  monkeys,  to  be  exhibited,  visited, 
petted  or  dreaded.  At  12  P.  M.  theSerapis  weighed,  and  steamed 
towards  Portsmouth.  On  her  way  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  came 
on  board  to  welcome  his  Royal  brother. 

The  scene  at  the  landing  at  Portsmouth  was  a  becoming 
prelude  to  the  greeting  which  the  whole  country  gave  the  Prince 
of  Wales  on  his  return  from  the  visit  to  India,  which  will  be  for 
ever  a  great  landmark  in  the  History  of  the  Empire. 


HAVEN  AND  HOME. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


i. 

SUITE  OF  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES. 

1.  His  Grace  the  DUKE  of  SUTHERLAND,  KG. 

2.  The  Right  Honorable  SIR  BARTLE  FRERE,  G.C.S.I.,  K.C.B. 

3.  The  LORD  SUFFIELD  (Lord-in- Waiting  and  Head  of  the  Household  of  H. 

R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 

4.  MAJOR-GENERAL  the  LORD  ALFRED  PAGET  (Clerk  Marshal  to  H.M.  the 

Queen). 

5.  The  EARL  of  AYLESFORD. 

6.  MAJOR-GENERAL  PROBYN,  C.B.,V.  C.  (Equerry  in  Waiting  to  H.R.H.  the 

Prince  of  Wales). 

7.  LIEUT.-COLONEL  ARTHUR  ELLIS  (Grenadier  Guards,  Equerry  in  Waiting 

to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 

8.  Mr.  FRANCIS  KNOLLYS  (Private  Secretary  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  Wales). 

9.  SURGEON-GENERAL  FAYRER  C.S.I.  (Physician  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of 

Wales). 

10.  CAPTAIN  the  Honorable  H.  CARR  GLYN,  C.B.,  Royal  Navy  (Aide-de- 

Camp  to  H.M.  the  Queen,  commanding  H.M.S.  Serapis}. 

11.  COLONEL  OWEN  WILLIAMS  (Commanding  Royal   Regiment  of  Horse 

Guards). 

12.  LIEUTENANT  the  LORD  CHARLES  BERESFORD,  M.P.,  Royal  Navy  (Aide- 

de-Camp  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 

13.  CAPTAIN  the  LORD  CARINGTON,  Royal  Horse  Guards  (Aide-de-Camp  to 

H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 

509 


5io 


APPENDIX. 


14.  The  REVEREND    CANON  DUCKWORTH  (Chaplain  to  H.M.  the  Queen 

and  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 

15.  LIEUTENANT  AUGUSTUS  FITZ  GEORGE,  Rifle  Brigade  (Extra  Aide-de- 

Camp  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 

1 6.  COMMANDER  DURRANT,  Royal  Navy  (Commanding  Royal  Yacht  Osborne). 

17.  Mr.  W.  H.  RUSSELL  (Honorary  Private  Secretary  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince 

of  Wales). 

18.  Mr.  ALBERT  GREY  (Private  Secretary  to  the  Right  Honorable  Sir  Bartle 

Frere). 

19.  Mr.  SYDNEY  HALL  (Artist  in  the  Suite  of  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales). 


First  Mess. 


Mr.  DOWNIE  (Page). 
"    GRIMM  (Valet). 
"    MACDONALD  (Jager). 
"     BONNEMAIN  (Chief  Cook). 
"     SCURTI  (Assist  Cook). 
"     Prince  (Stud  Groom). 
"    MACALISTER    (Duke   of    Suther- 
land). 


Mr.  FEELAN  (Lord  Suffield). 
"     ISAACSON  (India  Office). 
"    BARTLETT  (Naturalist). 
"    MUDD  (Botanist). 
"    ABRAHAM  I  Assist,  to  Mr.  Isaac- 
son). 


Second  Mess. 


BLACKBURN  (Sergeant  Footman). 
GURR  (Footman). 
PALMER  (Footman). 
CHANDLER  (Wardrobe-man). 
ROBERTSON  (Assistant  Jager). 
MITCHELL  (Cook's  Apprentice). 
COOLIDGE  (Groom). 
WRIGHT  (Lord  Carington). 
POTTER  (Lord  Alfred  Paget). 


MYSON  (Lord  Aylesford). 
TREADWELL  (Sir  Bartle  Frere). 
EVANS  (Colonel  Ellis). 
GILLARD   (Major-General  Probyn), 
TOM  FAT  (Lord  C.  Beresford). 
JAMES  (Dr.  Fayrer). 
MALT  (Mr.  FitzGeorge). 
PHIPPS  (Colonel  Williams). 
MCLACHLAN  (Duke  of  Sutherland), 


II. 
THE  LANDING   IN    BOMBAY. 

The  following  notification,  issued  by  the  political  Department,  gives  the 
details  of  the  entry  and  procession  : 

"  His  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES  arrived  at  Bombay  at 
9  A.  M.  on  the  8th  instant  in  Her  Majesty's  Steam  Ship  Serapis. 


THE  LANDING  IN  BOMBAY.  51  I 

"  On  the  Serapis  entering  the  harbor  a  Royal  salute  was  fired  by  the 
ships  of  war  under  the  command  of  his  Excellency  the  Naval  Commander-in- 
Chief  and  by  the  saluting  battery. 

"  At  10  A.  M.  his  Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  her  Majesty's 
Naval  Forces  in  India  and  Rear-Admiral  Lambert,  C.B.,  proceeded  on  board 
Her  Majesty's  Steam  Ship  Serapis. 

"  At  3  P.  M.  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy  and  Governor-General,  attended 
by  his  Suite,  arrived  at  the  Dockyard  and  proceeded  on  board  Her  Majesty's 
Ship  Serapis.  His  Excellency  was  received  at  the  Dockyard  by  a  Guard  of 
Honor;  and  on  his  embarkation  Royal  salutes  were  fired  from  the  saluting 
battery  and  by  Her  Majesty's  Ships  of  War.  While  on  board  the  Serapis  his 
Excellency  the  Viceroy  presented  the  Foreign  Secretary  to  the  Government  of 
India  and  the  Members  of  his  own  Personal  Staff  to  his  Royal  Highness  the 
Prince  of  Wales. 

"At  3.25  P.  M.  his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay,  attended  by  his 
Staff,  and  conducted  by  the  Superintendent  of  the  Bombay  Marine,  proceeded 
on  board  Her  Majesty's  Steam  Ship  Serapis  under  the  usual  salute  from  the 
saluting  battery,  and  was  presented  to  his  Royal  Highness  by  his  Excellency 
the  Viceroy.  His  Excellency  was  accompanied  on  board  by  the  Chief  Justice, 
his  Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief,  the  Members  of  Council,  and  the 
officer  commanding  the  troops  in  Bombay,  who  were  presented  to  his  Royal 
Highness  by  his  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 

"  At  3.45  p.  M.  the  Governor  of  Bombay  and  Staff,  and  the  Officers  who 
accompanied  his  Excellency,  returned  to  the  Dockyard. 

"At  4  P.  M.  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  accompanied  by 
his  Excellency  the  Viceroy,  and  attended  by  his  Suite,  quitted  Her  Majesty's 
Ship  Serapis  in  the  Royal  Barge  under  a  Royal  salute  from  Her  Majesty's 
Ships  of  War. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  landed  under  a  salute  of  21  guns  from  the  saluting 
battery,  and  a  guard  of  Honor  of  European  Infantry  was  drawn  up  opposite 
the  landing-place. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  was  received  on  landing  by  his  Excellency  the 
Governor  of  Bombay,  the  Chief  Justice,  his  Excellency  the  Commander-in- 
Chief.  the  Roman  Catholic  Bishop,  the  Members  of  Council,  the  Judges  of 
the  High  Court  of  Judicature  at  Bombay,  the  Additional  Members  of  Council, 
the  Commissioner  in  Sind,  the  Commissioner  of  Customs  and  Opium,  the 
Revenue  Commissioners,  the  Secretaries  and  Under-Secrctaries  to  Gov- 
ernment, the  Chairman  of  the  Corporation  of  Bombay,  the  Chairman  of 
the  Bench  of  Justices,  the  Municipal  Commissioner,  and  the  Sheriff  of 
Bombay. 

"  The  Native  Princes,  Chiefs,  and  Sirdars  assembled  in  Bombay  in  honor 
of  his  Royal  Highness,  attended  on  the  occasion." 


512  APPENDIX. 

PROCESSION. 


On  Horseback. 

The  Assistant  Quartermaster-General,  Bombay  District. 

The  Deputy  Assistant  Quartermaster-General,  Bombay  District. 

A  Squadron  of  the  3d  Hussars  in  column  of  Fours  headed  by  the  Band  of 

the  Regiment. 

A  Battery  of  Royal  Horse  Artillery  in  column  of  route. 
A  Squadron  of  Poona  Horse  in  column  of  fours. 


The  Officer  Commanding  Poona 

Horse. 

The  Brigade-Major. 
Brigadier-General  Phayre,  C.  B., 

Aide-de-Camp  to  the  Queen. 


The  Officer  Commanding  ist 
Bombay  Lancers. 

A  Staff  Officer. 

Brigadier-General  Gell,  Com- 
manding Bombay  District. 


A  Detachment  of  His  Excellency  the  Governor's  Body  Guard. 
Carriages  of  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 

1.  Captain  Spencer,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the   Governor    of 

Bombay. 
Captain  Anderson,   Aide-de-Camp   to  His   Excellency  the  Governor  of 

Bombay. 

Captain  Grey,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 
Jemadar  Shaik  Cassim,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor 

of  Bombay. 

2.  C.  S.  Close,  Esq.,  Surgeon  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 
Lieut.  Macllwaine,  R.  N.,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor 

of  Bombay. 

Captain  Daniel,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 
Captain  Makellar,   Aide-de  Camp  to  His    Excellency  the  Governor   of 

Bombay. 

3.  E.  R.  Wodehouse,  Esq.,  Private  Secretary  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor 

of  Bombay. 

Captain  Jervoise,  Military  Secretary  to  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 
Captain  Wodehouse,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of 

Bombay. 
Lord  Hastings. 

4.  His  Excellency  the  Governor  of  Bombay. 
Sir  Bartle  Frere,  G.  C.  S.  I.,  K.  C.  B. 

Captain  Fawkes,   Aide-de-Camp   to   His   Excellency    the    Governor   of 

Bombay. 
A  Detachment  of  His  Excellency  the  Governor's  Body  Guard. 


THE  LANDING  IN  BOMBAY.  513 

Carriages  of  If  is  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

I.    Captain  FitzGeorge,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of 

Wales. 

Albert  Grey,  Esq.,  Private  Secretary  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere. 
"SV.  II.  Russell,   Esq.,  LL.D.,  Honorary  Private   Secretary  to  His  Royal 

Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
S.  P.  Hall,  Esq. 
2     Lord   Carington,   Aide-de-Camp  to   His  Royal   Highness  the   Prince   of 

Wales. 
Francis   Knollys,   Esq.,   Private   Secretary   to   His  Royal   Highness  the 

Prince  of  Wales. 
Surgeon-General  Fayrcr,  C.  S.  I.,  Special  Duty  with  His  Royal  Highness 

the  Prince  of  Wales. 

3.  Major  Uradford,  Special   Duty  with  His   Royal   Highness  the   Prince   of 

Wales. 
Reverend  Canon  Duckworth,  Chaplain  to  His  Royal  Highness   the    Prince 

of  Wales. 
Lord  Charles  Bcresford,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince 

of  Wales. 

4.  Major   Williams,  Special  Duty  with  His  Royal  Highness  the   Prince  of 

Wales. 

Lord  Aylesford,  Equerry  to  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
Colonel  Owen  Williams,  Equerry  to    His  Royal   Highness  the  Prince   of 

Wales. 

5.  Lord  Sufficld,  Lord-in- Waiting  to  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  \Vales. 
Lieut.-Colonel    Ellis,  Equerry  to   His    Royal    Highness    the    Prince    of 

Wales. 
Major   Henderson,  Political  Officer  with  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince 

of  Wales. 
Major  Sartorius,  V.  C.,  C.M  G.,  Special  Duty  with   his  Royal   Highness 

the  Prince  of  Wales.  , 

6.  Duke  of  Sutherland,  K.  G. 
Lord  Alfred  Paget. 

Major-General  Browne,  C.B.,  V.  C.,  Special  Duty  with  His  Royal  High- 
ness the  Prince  of  \Vales. 
A  detachment  of  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy's  Body  Guard. 

Carriages  of  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy  and  Governor-  General. 

I.   Lieutenant  Cavendish,  R.  N.,  Flag  Lieutenant  of  His  Excellency  the  Corn- 

niander-in-Chief  of  Her  Majesty's  Naval  Forces  in  India. 
Lieutenant  Folcy,  R.  N.,  Flag  Lieutenant  of  the  Rear- Admiral  Second  in 
Command. 

22* 


APPENDIX. 

Captain  Farmer,  Aide-de-Camp  to  his  Excellency  the  Viceroy. 

The  Rear- Admiral  Second  in  Command. 

Captain  Evelyn  Baring,  Private  Secretary  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy. 

Captain  Jackson,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy. 

The  Honorable  F.  Baring,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy. 

His  Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  Her  Majesty's  Naval  Forces 

in  India. 

C.  U.  Aitchison,  Esq.,  C.  S.  I.,  Secretary  to  the  Government  of  India. 
Colonel  Earle,  Military  Secretary  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy. 
Captain  Biddulph,  Aide-de-Camp  to  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy. 
A  Detachment  of  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy's  Body  Guard. 


The  Adjutant  of 
the     Viceroy's 
Body      Guard 
(on  horse- 
back).                ( 

'  His  EXCELLENCY 
THE        VICEROY 
AND         GOVER- 
NOR-GENERAL. 
The  Equerry  in  att 
Highness. 

His  ROYAL  HIGH- 
NESS THE  PRINCE 
OF  WALES. 
endance  on  his  Royal 

The  Command- 
ant   of     the 
Vi  ceroy's 
Body    Guard 
(  o  n      horse- 
back). 

The  Commissioner  of  Police  (on  horseback). 

A  Detachment  of  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy's  Body  Guard. 


Carriages  of  Native  Princes  invited  to  take  part  in  the  Precession. 

The  Deputation  from  His  Highness  the  Nizam. 

His  Highness  Syajee  Rao,  Gaekwar  of  Baroda. 

His  Highness  the  Maharaja  of  Mysore. 

His  Highness  the  Maharana  of  Meywar  (Oodeypur). 

His  Highness  Sivvajee  Chutraputtee  Maharaj,  Raja  of  Kolhapur. 

His  Highness  Maharao  Shree  Mirza  Rajay  Pragmuljee,  G.  C.  S.  I.,  Rao  of 

Cutch. 

His  Highness  Kesrusingjce  Jewunsingjee,  Maharaja  of  Edar. 
His  Highness  Meer  Ali  Morad  of  Khairpur. 
His  Highness  Mohubut  Khanjee,  K.  C.  S.  I.,  Nawab  of  Junagarh. 
His  Highness  Jam  Shree  Vibbajee,  Jam  of  Nawanagar. 
His  Highness  Rawul  Shree  Tukhutsingjee,  Thakur  Saheb  of  Bhaunagar. 
His  Highness  Rah  Shree  Mansingjee,  Raj  Saheb  of  Dhrangadra. 
Gumbheersingjee,  Raja  of  Rajpipla. 
His  Excellency  Zorawur  Khan,  Dewan  of  Pahlanpur. 
Bismilla  Khan,  Nawab  of  Radhanpur. 


Carriages  of  other  Officers  and  gentlemen  taking  part  in  the  Procession. 

I.  The  Chief  Justice  of  Bombay. 

His  Excellency  the  Commander-in-Chief. 


FIELD    STATES,    ETC. 


515 


2.  The  Honorable  A.  Rogers,    )   Members  of  Coundl. 
The  Honorable  J.  Gibbs,      ) 

3.  The  Honorable  Sir  Charles  Sargent. 
The  Honorable  Mr.  Justice  Bayley. 

4.  The  Honorable  Mr.  Justice  Kemball. 
The  Honorable  Mr.  Justice  Green. 

5.  The  Honorable  Mr.  Justice  West. 

The  Honorable  Mr.  Justice  Nanabhai  Ilaridas. 

6.  The  Honorable  A.  R.  Scoble. 

The  Honorable  Major-General  Kennedy. 

7.  The  Honorable  Colonel  W.  C.  Anderson. 
The  Honorable  E.  W.  Ravenscroft. 

8.  The  Honorable  Rao  Saheb  W.  N.  Mundlick. 

The  Honorable  Rao  Saheb  Becherdass  Ainbaidass. 

9.  Tlve  Honorable  Nacoda  Mahomed  AH  Rogay. 

The  Honorable  Khan  Bahadoor  Padamjee  Pestonjee. 

10.  The  Honorable  Donald  Graham. 

11.  The  Chairman  of  the  Municipal  Corporation. 
The  Municipal  Commissioner. 

The  Sheriff  of  Bombay. 

A  Squadron  of  the  ist  Bombay  Lancers  in  column  of  Fours. 


POONAH. 
PARADE  STATE.— \^th  November,  1875.— (Page  164.) 


CORPS. 

c 

o 

- 

Medical  Officer  1 

0 

%'~" 

Drummers  and  1 
Musicians. 

jy 

^ 

1 

1  S3SJOH 

» 
O 

Head-Qinrters,  4th  Brigade,  R.  A.  .     . 
Head-Quarters,  9th  Brigade,  R.  A.    .     . 

I 
I 

i 

• 

i 

75 

2 
80 

1 
4 
92 

6 

75 

3 

94 

6 

K-Q  Royil  Artillery                • 

6 

18 

204 

226 

g 

24 

2 

536 

612 

3 

*£"R  !  ist  G'-enadier  Regiment  N.    I. 

7 

4 

3' 

48 

374 

453 

5 

28 

328 

3So 

24 

43 

49° 

557 

3 

«£•§  i  i3tfi  Regiment  N.  I  

4 

9 

23 

30 

312 

433 

3f>5 
476 

4 

•e  c  J  igth  Regiment  N    I     

I 

20 

29 

259 

308 

6 

Grand  Total.      .     • 

70 

10 

69 

255 

288 

3602 

4M5 

289 

<S 

5i6 


APPENDIX. 


BOMBAY.— (Page  167.) 

After  the  presentation  of  colors  to  the  Bombay  Marine  Battalion  on  i6th 
November,  there  was  a  review  before  the  Prince.  The  following  was  the 
Parade  State  : 


CORPS. 

8 

-c 

.li 

c3 

Subalterns. 

> 

,    P 

c| 

Trtimi  eters  and 
Drummers. 

Rank  and  File. 

1 

D-C    Royal  Horse  Artillery      

t 

78 

87 

7 

2 

ist  Liglit  Cavalry  (Lancers)       

2 

3 

9 

5 
'9 

4 

196 

6th  Bri"ade  R   A.         ,          

12 

23 

121 

1 

* 

12 

39 

44 

f 

25 

%3b 

Grand  Total    .     .    . 

16 

16 

16 

53 

'57 

"57 

2071 

2385 

Attcr  the  march-past  Sir  C.  Stavelcy  issued  the  following  G.  O.  C.: 
The  Commander-in-Chief  has  the  gratification  to  announce  that  tne  Field- 
Marshal  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  having  reviewed  the  troops, 
both  European  and  Native,  at  Poona  and  Bombay,  the  first  he  has  seen  in 
India,  has  been  graciously  pleased  to  express  his  approval  of  their  appearance 
on  parade,  and  of  the  steadiness  and  precision  of  their  movements. 


RETURN  VISITS. 

There  were  printed  programmes  for  each  visit  made  to.  and  each  return 
visit  made  by  the  Prince,  and  one  will  serve,  nntt-.itis  mutandis,  for  ail.  The 
directions  were  undeviatingly  observed,  and  the  programmes  were  usdul  guides, 
as  notes  of  what  to  observe  in  the  case  of  each  Chief  were  pencilled  on  the 
back.  There  were  also  libelli  issued  by  the  Government,  giving  accounts  of 
the  State  and  family  of  each  Chief,  generally  adorned  by  photograph  : 

FOREIGN  DEPARTMENT. 

FofeT  WILLIAM,  December  27,  1875. 

Return  Visit  of  His  Royal  ffighness  the  Prince  of  Wale*  to  Maharajah 
Scimtia,  G.  C.  S  I. 

His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  will  return  the  visit  cf  His 
Highness  the  Maharaja  Scindia,  on  Wednesday,  the  2Qth  day  of  Dccen.ber,  at 


RETURN    VISITS.  $1? 

1 1. 30  A.M.  A  deputation,  consisting  of  the  four  principal  members  of  his 
Highness's  suite  present  in  Calcutta,  will  wait  on  his  Royal  Highness,  the 
Prince  of  Wales  at  Government  House,  at  10.45  A-  M-  precisely,  to  conduct  hia 
Royal  Highness  to  the  private  residence  (No  5,  Alipoor)  of  the  Maharaja. 
His  Royal  Highness  will  be  attended  by  Major  P.  D.  Henderson,  Major  R. 
W.  Sartorius,  and  by  such  members  of  the  personal  staff  as  his  Royal  High- 
ness may  appoint.  The  Maharaja,  accompanied  by  che  Political  Officer  on  duty 
with  his  Highness,  will  receive  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  under 
the  portico  of  his  house  as  his  Royal  Highness  alights  from  his  carriage,  and  will 
conduct  his  Royal  Highness  to  a  seat,  which  will  be  immediately  on  the  Mahara- 
ja's right  hand.  On  the  right  of  the  Prince  will  sit  Major  P.  D.  Henderson, 
Major  R.  W.  Sartorius,  and  the  personal  Staff.  On  the  left  of  the  Maharaja 
will  sit  the  Political  Officer  on  duty  with  his  Highness,  and  beyond  him  the 
Maharaja's  relatives  and  attendants,  according  to  their  rank.  After  a  short 
conversation,  the  Maharaja's  relatives  and  attendants  will  be  presented  to  His 
Royal  Highness  by  the  Political  Officer  on  duty  with  the  Maharaja,  and  will 
offer  the  usual  nuzzars,  which  will  be  touched  and  remitted.  At  the  close  of 
the  interview  the  Maharaja  will  present  uttur  and  pan  to  His  Royal  Highness 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  one  of  his  Ilighness's  principal  attendants  to  the 
other  officers  present.  The  Maharaja  will  take  leave  of  the  Prince  under  the 
portico  of  his  Ilighness's  house.  The  four  members  of  his  Ilighness's  suite 
who  met  his  Royal  Highness  will  return  with  his  Royal  Highness  until  it  shall 
be  the  pleasure  of  his  Royal  Highness  to  dispense  with  their  attendance.  A 
Guard  of  Honor  will  be  drawn  up  at  the  Maharaja's  house,  and  will  salute  on 
the  arrival  and  departure  of  His  Royal  Highness.  His  Royal  Highness  will  be 
escorted  by  the  Body  Guard.  Full  dress  will  be  worn  by  all  officers  on  this 
occasion. 

P.  D.  HENDERSON,  Major,  Political  Officer  on  duty  with  his 

Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales. 


5*3  APPENDIX. 

NEW  YEAR'S  NIGHT.— (Page  336.) 

The  bill  ot  the  play  on  the  occasion   of  the  Prince's  visit  on  New  Year's 
night  to  the  Theatre,  Calcutta,  was  as  follows  : 

ENGLISH'S  THEATRE,  7  LINDSAY  STREET 

Directress — Mrs.  E.  English. 

TO-NIGHT,  SATURDAY,  ist  JANUARY,  1876. 
His  Royal  Highness 

THE  PRINCE  OF  WALES'S 
STATE  NIGHT  BY  VICE-REGAL  COMMAND, 

AND 

Benefit  of  Mrs.  English. 

Tenth  appearance  in  India  of  the  Celebrated  and  World-Renowned 

CHARLES  MAT  HEWS, 
The  greatest  Comedian  of  the  age,  and  acknowledged  as  such  by  the  World. 


The  Performance  will  commence  (by  Command)  at  9.30  P.M.  precisely,  with 
Charles  Mathews'  latest  London  success  and  own  Comedy,  entitled, 

MY  A  WFUL  DAD  !  ! 
MR.  ADONIS  EVERGREEN — MR.  CHARLES  MATHEWS  (his  Original  Character). 

RICHARD  EVERGREEN  (his  son,  aged  27)     .    Mr  G.  Barrett. 

PRINCE  KOTCHACOFF Mr.  II.  Walton. 

HUMPHREY  LOVEKIN  (aged  40)      ....     Mr.  II.  Jordan. 
FIBS  j  (  Mr.  C.  Vere. 

NIBS  >  Clerks  to  Richard  Evergreen  .     .      \  Mr.  Cooke. 
DIBS  )  C  Mr.  F.  Stuart. 

CRUETS  (a  Waiter) Mr.  F.  Stuart. 

MATILDA  WEDDAGAIN     .......    Miss  Annie  Baldwin. 

EMMA  MARIGOLD Miss  Edith  Wilson. 

MRS.  BIGGS Miss  Sallie  Turner. 

CHARLOTTE  FITZPLANTAGENET  (nfe  Gris- 

kin) Miss  Nellie  Vincent 

EVANGELINE  CLARA  VERE-DE-VERE  (n€e 

Tadpole) Miss  Marie  Kean. 


NEW   YEARS    NIGHT.  519 

To  conclude  with  (by  special  request), 
LITTLE    AMY  ROBSARTltl 

OR,  YE  QUEEN,  YE  EARLE,  AND  YE  MAYDENNK. 

QUEEN  ELIZABETH Mr.  G.  Barrett. 

EARL  OF  LEICESTER Miss  Edith  Wilson. 

EARL  OF  SUSSEX Miss  Marie  Kean. 

EARL  OF  ESSEX Miss  Ellen  Kemp. 

EARL  OF  SURREY Miss  Mabel  Howard 

SIR  WALTER  RALEIGH Miss  Nellie  Vincent. 

TRESSILIAN Miss  Annie  Howard 

VARNEY Mr.  II.  Walton. 

WAYLAND  SMITH  (a  Vagabond)    ....  Mr.  F.  Mervin. 

TONY  FOSTER Mr.  F.  Stuart. 

MIKE  LAMUOURNE Mr.  II.  Jordan. 

AMY  ROBSART Miss  Topscy  Venna 

JANET Miss  Stella  Balhara- 


SCENERY  by  IIEKR  M.  FREYBERGER. 

MUSIC  ARRANGED  BY  MR.  ALFRED  PLUMPTON. 
On  this  occasion  the  interior  of  the  House  will  be  festively  decorated,  and  the 

exterior  brilliantly  illuminated  by*Messrs.  FREYBERGER  and  ANDERSON. 

The  FLORAL  DECORATIONS  of  the  exterior  and  interior  of  the  House  have 

been  entrusted  to  Mr.  M.  BAKER,  the  Florist. 

T/ie  Royal  Box  will  befitted  up  by  Messrs.  Lazarus  &*  Co. 


PRICES  OF  ADMISSION. 

Upper  Tier  Boxes  with  Six  Seats      .    .  Rs.  1,000  each=j£roo 
Lower  Tier  Boxes  with  Five  Seats    .     .    "        500    "=      50 

Stalls "        30    "    =       3 

Maharajahs,  Rajahs,  Nawabs,  Chiefs,  and  the  €lite  of  Calcutta  who  may 
wish  to  reserve  Boxes  on  this  interesting  occasion  are  solicited  to  com- 
municate through  their  Agents,  or  by  letter  with  Mrs.  English,  or  with  Herr 
M.  Freyberger,  14  Chowringhee  Road. 


520 


APPENDIX. 


THE  DELHI  REVIEW.— (Page  363). 

The  following  is  an  account  of  the  force  which  was  present  at  Delhi  on 
the  I2th  January,  1876: 

ARTILLERY. 


A.  Battery,  A.  Brigade 

C.  Battery,  A.  Brigade 

D.  Battery,  A.  Brigade 
A.  Battery,  C.  Brigade 


A.  Battery,  8th  Brigade 

B.  Battery,  8th  Brigade 
F.  Battery,  8th  Brigade 
A.  Battery,  iQth  Brigade 

C.  Battery,  rgth  Brigade 
F.    Battery,  I9th  Brigade 


Royal  Horse  Artillery. 

Major  F.  G.  Ravenhill. 
Major  F.  A.  Whinyates. 
Major  P.  E.  Hill. 
Major  M.  M.  FitzGerald. 

Field  Artillery. 

Major  W.  J.  Finch. 
Major  A.  Dixon. 
Major  D.  S  Pemberton 
Major  A.  H.  Davidson. 
Major  E.  H.  Dyke. 
Major  W.  Manderson. 


^fountain  Battery. 
6th  Battery,  I3th  Brigade     Major  H.  A.  Tracey. 

Heavy  Battery. 
No.  i  Battery,  230!  Brigade  Major  P.  II.  Harcourt 


loth  Hussars       

4th  Bengal  Cavalry 
(Hindustanees  —  gen- 
eral mixture  of  various 
classes.) 

loth  Bengal  Lancers 
(Sikhs,  Pathans,  &c. — 
class     troop     system.) 

sd  Punjab  Cavalry 
Punjab  Frontier  Force 
—  class  troop  system. ) 


CAVALRY. 

Major  Lord  Ralph 

Kerr. 
Col.  G.  C.  I-Iankin 


Major  O.  Barnes 


Captain  F.  Lance 


Three  4O-pr.  Armstrong 
B.  L.  ;  two  8-inch 
mortars ;  two  5J^-in. 
cohorns. 


6th  of  the   Old  Army. 
Did  not  mutiny. 


2d     Regiment, 
son's  Horse." 


Hod- 


Raised  by  Major-Gen, 
eral  Sam  Browne  be- 
fore Mutiny.  Com* 
mandcd  by  him 
throughout  Mutiny. 


THE   DELHI    REVIEW. 


521 


nth   Hussars 

5th  Bengal  Cavalry 
(General  mixture  of  va- 
rious classes.) 

1st       Regiment,*    Central 
Indian  Horse. 

1 3th  Hussars      ..       ,. 

6th  Bengal  Cavalry 
(Hindustanees,     Sikhs, 
Jats,    &c. —  class    troop 
system.) 


Lieut.-Col.  A.  L. 

Annesley. 
Major  H.  R.  Osborne. 


Captain  H.  M.  Buller. 

Lieut-Col.  H.  C. 

Russell,  C.  B. 
Major  G.  A.  A. 

Baker. 


1 5th  Bengal  Cavalry.       —    Major  G.  A.  Pren- 
"  Mooltanee   Horse.  M  dergast. 

(Men  from  the  banks 
of  the  Indus  and  the 
Deyra  Jat,  under  their 
own  hereditary  Chiefs.) 


1 5th  Hussars     

7th  Bengal  Cavalry     ..     .. 
(General  mixture  of  va- 
rious classes.) 

nth  Bengal  Lancers.  — 
"  Probyn's  Horse." 
(Sikhs    and   Afghans — 
class  troop  system.) 


Bengal  Sappers  and 
Miners. 


73d  Regiment    ..     ..    .. 


Lieut.-Col.  J.  E. 

Swindley. 
Captain  H.  C.  Creak 


Major  R.  E.  Boyle 


ENGINEERS. 

Col.  F.  R.  Maunsell, 
C.  B. 

INFANTRY. 
Major  J.  W.  Barnes. 


Old  8th  Irregular  Cav- 
alry. Commanded  by 
Colonel  Richardson 
before  the  Mutiny; 
still  commanded  by 
him. 

Raised  during  the  Mu- 
tiny by  Major-Gen- 
eral  Cureton  in  the 
Derajab.  All  Pa- 
thans,  calling  them- 
selves Ben  d'Israeli. 
Their  last  migration, 
250  years  ago,  was 
from  Candahar.  They 
are  not  Affghans. 


The  old  1 7th;      "Lip- 
hott's  Regiment." 

Raised  by  Wale,  who 
was  killed  at  the  head 
of  the^Regiment  at 
Lucknow.  Succeed- 
ed by  Probyn. 


522 


APPENDIX. 


nth  Native  Infantry        ..     Major  P.  H.  F. 

(General      mixture      of        Harris. 

various  classes.) 
33d  Native  Infantry       ..      Lieut.-Col.  J.  T. 

(General  mixture  of  va-         Harris. 

rious  classes.) 


4th     Battalion,   Rifle 

gade. 
3d   Goorkhas    .. 

(•Class  Regiment.) 


Bri-    Lieut.-Col.  H.  R.  L. 

Newdigate. 
..     Col.  A.  Paterson. 


Formerly  7oth. 

Raised  during  the  Mutiny 
at  Allahabad.  Com- 
posed of  various  class- 
es, of  which  the  shep- 
herds and  agricultur- 
ists prevail.  Presumed 
to  be  a  low-caste  Reg- 
iment, because  not  com- 
posed of  Brahmins, 
Rajpoots,  &c. 


4th   Goorkhas  
(Class  Regiment.) 
2d  Battalion,  6oth  Rifles 

2d     Ghoorkas,     Sirmoor 
Battalion. 
(Class  Regiment.) 

Lieut.-Col.  J.  P. 
Turton. 
Lieut.-Col.  H.  P. 
Montgomery. 
Lieut.-Col.  D.  Mac- 
intyre,  V.  C. 

ist  Punjab  Infantry  ..     ..     Major  F.  J.  Kean 
(Punjab  Frontier  Force.) 


Taken  into  the  British 
se-rv.ice  as  a  Regiment. 
Had  fought  against 
us.  Fought  on  our 
side  against  the 
Sikhs  in  the  Sutlej 
with  the  6oth  and 
Coke's  Rifles.  Held 
Hindoo  Rao's  house 
throughout  the  siege 
of  Delhi. 

Coke's  Rifles.  Raised  by 
Coke  for  Frontier  ser- 
vice in  1850.  Largely 
composed  of  Affreedis. 
Held  the  Ridge  with 
the  6oth  and  the  2d 
Ghoorkas  during  the 
siege.  Casualties  since 
formation  amount  to 
about  680. 


39th  Regiment      ..     «         Col.  R.  H.  Currie 


THE    DELHI    REVIEW. 


523 


5ist  Regiment 

8th  Native  Infantry 
(Rajpoots,    Hindusta- 
nees,    Pathans,     Sikhs, 
&c. — class  company  sys- 
tem.) 

1st  Battalion,  8th  Regi- 
ment. 

85th  Regiment 

32d  Native  Infantry. — 
"  Pioneers." 
(Muzbee  Sikhs — class 
regiment.) 


2d  Battalion,  I2th  Regi- 
ment. 

1 5th  Native  Infantry 

(The  Loodianah  Regi- 
ment, Sikhs,  &c. — 
general  mixture.) 


45th  Native  Infantry 
(Rattray's  Sikhs  —  class 
regiment.) 


6zd  Regiment 

z8th  Native  Infantry 

(Punjabees — class    com- 
pany system.) 


Lieut. -Col.  C.Acton. 
Col.  T.  A.  Carey      ., 


Lieut.-Col.  G.  H. 

Cochrane. 

Major  W.  II  all  owes 
Lieut.-Col.  G.  A. 

Williams. 


Old  59th.  When  sta- 
tioned in  the  Punjab, 
enlisted  a  large  number 
of  Sikhs  and  Pathans. 


Raised  for  service  at 
Delhi.  Altogether 
composed  of  Muzbi 
Sikhs.  Served  during 
the  Mutiny  in  Bhoo- 
tan  and  in  the  Um- 
beylah  Pass. 


Lieut.-Col.  J.  M'Kay. 
Col.  G.  H.  Thompson 


Major  F.  M.  Arm- 
strong. 


Lieut.-Col.  S.  G. 

Carter. 
Lieut.-Col.  W.  C. 

Hamilton. 


All  Sikhs.  Called  the 
Loodianah  Regiment. 
Existed  before  the 
Mutiny  as  an  Irregu- 
lar Regiment.  Was 
raised  m  \vhat  were 
called  the  Protected 
.States. 

All  Sikhs,  excepting  one 
Company  of  Dogras 
(Hill  men).  Sikhs 
drawn  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Umritam. 
Originally  a  police 
Battalion,  and  brought 
into  the  line  in  recog- 
nition of  its  distin- 
guished services  un- 
der Colonel  Rattrav. 


The  old  i6th.  Largely 
composed  of  Sikhs 
Punjabees,  and  Pa- 
thans. 


APPENDIX. 


3 ist  Native  Infantry 

(Punjabees — class    com- 
pany system.) 


Major  H.  L.  C. 
Bernard. 


ist  Battalion,  6th  Regi- 
ment. 

26th  Native  Infantry 
(Punjabees — class    com- 
pany system.) 


Lieut.-Col.  T.  L. 

Bell. 
Lieut.-Col.  C.  M. 

Longmore. 


Raised  in  the  Mutiny. 
Four  Companies  of 
Sikhs ;  remaining  four 
Companies  of  various 

castes Punjabees, 

Musalmans,  &c. 


Raised  when  the  Muti- 
ny broke  out,  and 
numbered  iSth.  Sir 
Herbert  Edwardes 
was  said  to  have  col- 
lected all  the  bud- 
mashes  about  Pesha- 
wur  and  neighboring 
hills,  and  regimented 
them  under  Lieut.- 
Colonel  (then  Lieu- 
tenant) Williamson — 
a  good  frontier  offi- 
cer, well  acquainted 
with  the  frontier 
tribes. 

One  of  the  old  Frontier 
Regiments.  Served 
throughout  the  Oudh 
Campaign  under  the 
then  Major  Vaughan. 

A  Class  Regiment — for  instance,  Ghoorkas,  Cureton's  Mooltanee  Cav- 
alry, the  ist,  2d,  and  3d  Native  Infantry — all  Hindoostanis. 

A  Class  Company  Regiment  would  have,  for  instance,  two  or  three  Com- 
panies of  Sikhs,  a  Company  of  Hindoostanis,  a  couple  of  Companies  of 
Musalmans,  a  company  Goojurs  a  Company  of  Akeers,  occasionally  a  Com- 
pany of  Ghoorkas,  a  Company  of  Affreedis,  &c.,  &c. 

The  Bengal  army  consists  of  about  43,000  men,  19  regiments  of  cavalry 
(cavalry  regiment  about  480  men),  and  49  regiments  of  Infantry  (infantry  regi- 
ment about  700  men).  The  Punjab  Frontier  force  of  about  12,000  men. 

In  the  Bengal  army  there  are  about  8000  Sikhs,  13,000  Mohammedans. 
The  remainder  are  Hindoos  of  various  castes. 

The  regiments  raised  for  service  in  the  Mutiny  had  four  British  officers 
only.  After  that  war  the  complement  was  increased  to  six;  a  seventh  was 
added  as  a  reserve  for  civil  employ.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  each  regi- 


5th  Punjab  Infantry  ..    Major  J.  W. 

(Punjab  Frontier    Force        McQueen, 
— class      company    sys- 
tem.) 


CAVALRY    FIELD-DAY,  DELHI.  525 

ment  has,  besides  its  full  complement  of  native  officers,  two  per  Troop  or 
Company,  who  should  be,  and  are  in  the  good  regiments,  what  the  Captains 
and  Subalterns  are  in  the  British  regiments. 


RETURN  of  the  CAVALRY  DIVISION,  the  i7th  January,  1876. 
DIVISIONAL  STAFF. 

Brigadier  J.  Watson,  C.  B.,  V.  C Commanding  Division. 

Lieut.-Colonel  Hugh  Gough,  C.  B.,V.  C. ..  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Major  S.  de  A.  C.  Clarke,  4th  Hussars  ..  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Lieutenant  F.  C.  Burton,  ist  B.  C Assistant  Quartermaster-General. 

Major  W.  H.  Macnaghten  I3th  B.  C.       ..  Orderly  Officer. 

ist  CAVALRY  BRIGADE. 

Colonel  C.  Gough,  C.  B.,  V.  C ...     Commanding. 

Captain  W.  Clayton,  gth  Lancers      ..     ..     Brigade-Major. 

TROOPS. 

loth  Royal  Hussars — Major  Lord  Ralph  Kerr  commanding — 265  sabres. 
2d  Punjab  Cavalry — Captain  F.  Lance  commanding — 226  sabres, 
loth  Bengal  Lancers,  "Hodson's  Horse  " — Major  O.  Barnes  commanding — 
225  sabres. 

2d  CAVALRY  BRIGADE. 

Colonel  J.  Miller,  I3th  Hussars Commanding. 

Captain  A.  P.  Palmer,  S.  C Brigade  Major. 

TROOPS. 

nth  Prince  Albert's  Own  Hussars — Lieut.-Colonel  Lyttelton  Annesley  com- 
manding— 220  sabres. 

5th  Bengal  Cavalry — Major  H.  Osborn  commanding — 279  sabres. 

ist  Regiment  Central  India  Horse — Captain  H.  Buller  commanding — 279 
sabres. 

3d  CAVALRY  BRIGADE. 

Colonel  G.  C.  Hankin,  S.  C Commanding. 

Captain  G.  Luck,  I5th  Hussars Brigade-Major. 

TROOPS. 

I3th  Hussars— Lieut.-Colonel  B.  Russell., C  B.,  commanding— 260  sabres. 
4th  Bengal  Cavalry — Major  M.  Prendergast  commanding — 255  sabres. 
6th  Bengal  Cavalry — Major  G.  A.  A.  Baker  commanding — 266  sabres. 


526  APPENDIX. 


4th  CAVALRY  BRIGADE. 

Colonel  T.  Kennedy,  S.  C Commanding. 

Captain  H.  R.  Abadie,  gth  Lancers     ..     Brigade-Major. 


TROOPS. 

1 5th  Hussars — Lieut-Colonel  J.  E.  Swindley  commanding — 279  sabres, 
nth  Bengal  Lancers,  "  Probyn's  Horse  " — Major  R.  E.  Boyle  commanding — 
291  sabres. 

Total  of  all  ranks,  2857. 

HUGH  GOUGH,  Lieut.-Colonel, 

Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Camp  of  Exercise,  i8th  February  1876: 


FORCE  ORDER. 
(Issued by  Scindia  at  Gwalior,  on  ^d  February ',  1876.) 

The  march-past  on  the  ist  instant  gave  satisfaction  to  the  Field  Marshal 
His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales,  who  greatly  praised  the  command- 
ing Officers.  It  is  therefore  notified  on  the  part  of  His  Highness  the  Maha- 
raja to  the  Commanding  Officers  that  they  are  to  impress  this  on  their  hearts 
with  gladness  of  spirit,  and  to  continue  to  perform  their  respective  duties  in  a 
creditable  and  exemplary  manner,  in  order  that  the  fame  of  the  force  and  of 
themselves  may  be  lasting. 


FAREWELL   TO    INDIA. 

THE  PRINCE'S  FAREWELL  TO  INDIA. 

"  FORT  WILLIAM,  March  i^th,  1876. 

"  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  has  the  satisfaction 
of  publishing  for  general  information,  the  following  letter,  which  he  has  had 
the  honor  of  receiving  from  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  : — 

"  '  ff.M.'s  Ship  "  Serapis?  BOMBAY,  March  13*%. 

"  '  MY  DEAR  LORD  NORTHBROOK, 

" '  I  cannot  leave  India  without  expressing  to  you,  as  the  Queen's  Repre- 
sentative of  this  vast  Empire,  the  sincere  pleasure  and  the  deep  interest  with 
which  I  have  visited  this  great  and  wonderful  country.  As  you  are  aware,  it 
has  been  my  hope  and  intention  for  some  years  past  to  see  India,  with  a  view 
to  become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  the  Queen's  subjects  in  this  dis- 
tant part  of  her  Empire,  and  to  examine  for  myself  those  objects  of  interest 
which  have  always  had  so  great  an  attraction  for  travellers.  I  may  say  can- 
didly that  my  expectations  have  been  more  than  realized  by  what  I  have 
witnessed,  so  that  I  return  to  my  native  country  most  deeply  impressed  with 
all  I  have  seen  and  heard.  The  information  I  have  gained  will,  I  am 
confident,  be  of  the  greatest  value  to  me,  and  will  form  a  useful  foundation 
for  much  that  I  hope  hereafter  to  acquire.  The  reception  I  have  met  with 
from  the  Princes  and  Chiefs,  and  from  the  Native  population  at  large,  is  most 
gratifying  to  me,  as  the  evidence  of  loyalty  thus  manifested  shows  an  attach- 
ment to  the  Queen  and  to  the  Throne,  which  I  trust  will  be  made  every  year 
more  lasting.  It  is  my  earnest  hope  that  the  many  millions  of  the  Queen's 
Indian  subjects  may  daily  become  more  convinced  of  the  advantages  of  Brit- 
ish rule,  and  that  they  may  realize  more  fully  that  the  Sovereign  and  the 
Government  of  England  have  the  interests  and  well-being  of  India  very  sin- 
cerely at  heart.  I  have  had  frequent  opportunities  of  seeing  Native  troops 
of  all  branches  of  the  Service,  and  I  cannot  withhold  my  opinion  that  they  con- 
stitute an  army  of  which  we  may  feel  justly  proud.  The  "  march-past  "  at  Delhi 
of  so  many  distinguished  officers  and  of  such  highly  disciplined  troops  was  a 
most  impressive  sight,  and  one  which  I  shall  not  easily  forget.  I  wish  also 
to  state  my  high  appreciation  of  the  Civil  Service,  and  I  feel  assured  that  the 
manner  in  which  their  arduous  duties  are  performed  tends  greatly  to  the  pros- 
perity and  the  contentment  of  all  classes  of  the  community.  I  cannot  conclude 
without  thanking  you,  and  all  those  in  authority,  for  the  facilities  which  have 
enabled  me  to  traverse  so  rapidly  so  large  an  extent  of  country,  and  rest  assured 
I  shall  ever  retain  a  grateful  memory  of  the  hospitality  tendered  by  yourself 
and  by  others  who  have  so  kindly  received  me. 

"  '  Believe  me,  my  dear  Lord  Northbrook, 

"  '  Yours  very  sincerely, 

"  '  ALBERT  EDWARD.'  " 


ADDRESSES. 


THE  following  are  Addresses,  which  present  characteristic  points  : 


POONAH. 

"  We  beg  to  approach  your  Royal  Highness  with  every  feeling  of  loyalty 
and  respect,  to  offer  our  congratulations  on  the  occasion  of  your  Royal  High- 
ness's  visit  to  this  city. 

"  The  blessings  of  peace  and  good  government  which  we  enjoy  have  en- 
deared the  rule  of  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen  to  all  her  Indian 
subjects,  and  we  hail  the  advent  of  your  Royal  Highness  among  us  as  a  new 
proof  of  the  great  interest  Her  Majesty  and  your  Royal  Highness  take  in  all 
that  affects  the  well-being  of  the  countless  inhabitants  of  this  land. 

"  The  city  of  Poonah,  though  comparatively  poor  in  point  of  wealth,  is 
rich  in  historical  renown.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  Deccan  and  the  chief  city 
of  the  great  Mahratta  nation.  Your  Royal  Highness  will  see  many  larger, 
handsomer,  and  wealthier  cities  in  other  parts  of  India,  but  will  find  nowhere 
a  more  loyal,  intelligent,  or  closely  united  community  than  the  one  which  now 
welcomesjour  Royal  Highness  through  us  their  representatives. 

"  May  the  God  of  all  nations  bless  and  preserve  your  Royal  Highness 
and  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Princess  of  Wales,  your  noble  consort,  long  to 
adorn  the  proud  positions  your  Royal  Highnesses  at  present  occupy,  and  in 
future  years  may  your  Royal  Highness  look  back  on  your  visit  to  Poonah 
with  feelings  of  kindly  remembrance. 

"  With  the  deepest  respect  we  beg  to  subscribe  ourselves  your  Royal 

Highness's  most  faithful  and  loyal  servants." 
528 


AHMEDABAD  529 

AHMEDABAD. 
(Presented  at  Baroda. ) 

"  We,  the  Naggarsheth  of  Ahmedabad  and  others,  on  behalf  of  ourselves 
and  our  fellow-citizens,  desire  to  express  our  feelings  of  loyalty  and  devotion 
to  her  Majesty  the  Empress  of  India,  and  the  great  pleasure  which  we  feel  in 
approaching  your  Royal  Highness  as  her  Representative. 

"  Your  Royal  Highness's  short  sojourn  in  Guzerath  may  have  impressed  on 
your  Royal  Highness  the  fact  that  this  Province  is  more  than  any  other  dis- 
tinguished by  a  spirit  of  industry  and  commercial  enterprise ;  and  that  the 
people  in  general  are,  in  consequence,  lovers  of  peace  and  liberty,  which  we 
happily  enjoy  under  the  benign  sway  of  her  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen. 
The  people  of  this  Province  are  to  be  found  engaged  in  trade  in  distant  parts 
of  this  great  country  and  even  beyond  it.  Hence  the  language  of  Guzerath 
is,  properly  speaking,  the  commercial  language  of  India.  This  language  is  be- 
ing very  fast  improved  and  enriched  with  useful  literature,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Educational  Department  and  by  individual  efforts.  We  are  trying  to 
establish  a  College  in  our  city,  that  the  blessings  of  higher  education,  derived 
from  English  literature  and  European  science,  may  be  placed  within  the  reach 
of  the  people ;  and  we  hope  to  succeed  in  our  undertaking  by  the  support  of 
Government,  which  is  so  essential  to  success.  The  railway  has  given  an  impe- 
tus to  its  trade,  and  it  has  still  better  prospects  before  it  when  the  line  of  the 
North  shall  connect  Guzerath  with  Rajputana  and  upper  India.  The  fevers  of 
Guzerath,  which  were  once  a  terror  to  the  population,  have  been  much  miti- 
gated by  the  wise  sanitary  and  medical  arrangements  made  by  Government. 

"  Our  city,  which  historically  is  the  chief  city  of  Guzerath,  as  shown  by 
numerous  ancient  architectural  relics,  is  peopled  by  traders,  workmen,  and 
artificers,  who  depend  for  their  support  on  their  own  industry  and  labor,  for 
which  the  cotton,  silk,. and  gold-thread  manufactures  afford  a  great  scope. 

"  It  has  unfortunately  suffered  greatly  by  the  recent  floods  ;  but  the  whole 
country  has  shown  its  sympathy  by  prompt  and  generous  assistance,  and  we 
hope  it  will  ere  long  recover  its  former  prosperity. 

"  We  pray  that  God  may  bring  your  Royal  Highness's  travels  through 
India  to  a  happy  close,  and  that  it  may  afford  your  Royal  Highness  opportu- 
nities of  knowing  the  real  state  and  wants  of  your  future  subjects.  We  are, 
therefore,  earnest  in  the  hope  that  it  may  be  productive  of  much  good  to  this 
country,  and  be  the  means  of  strengthening  between  Great  Britain  and  India 
those  feelings  of  cordiality  and  reciprocal  confidence  which  mutual  acquaint- 
ance and  knowledge  are  sure  to  engender." 
23  34 


53O  ADDRESSES. 

SURAT. 

(Presented  at  Baroda, ) 

"  It  is  our  high  privilege  to  approach  your  Royal  Highness  with  feelings 
of  loyalty  and  devotion,  and  to  offer  on  behalf  of  the  general  community  of 
the  ancient  City  of  Surat  our  congratulations  on  the  occasion  of  your  Royal 
Highness's  visit  to  the  Province  of  Gujerat. 

"  Whilst  we  lay  no  claim  to  prominence  in  geographical  position,  in 
wealth,  or  in  magnificence,  we  look  back  with  pride  to  historical  traditions 
which  begin  with  the  landing  at  Surat  of  the  first  British  Ambassador  in 
Hindostan,  more  than  two  and  a  half  centuries  ago,  and  we  can  challenge  any 
city  in  India  to  show  a  longer  or  more  intimate  connection  with  the  British 
Government. 

"  It  would  not  have  been  in  accord  with  such  historical  associations,  if  we 
had  allowed  this  august  occasion  of  a  visit  to  Gujerat  of  the  Heir  Apparent 
of  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  under  whose  benign  rule  we 
have  so  long  enjoyed  peace,  prosperity,  and  the  benefits  of  improved  institu- 
tions, to  pass  without  offering  to  you  personally  an  assurance  of  our  loyalty 
and  devotion  to  the  Throne,  and  our  continual  prayers  for  the  welfare  of 
your  Royal  Highness." 


THE  MOHAMMEDAN  LITERARY  SOCIETY. 

The  following  remarkable  address  was  presented  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere, 
with  a  view  to  its  being  laid  before  the  Prince  : 

"  The  undersigned  Members  of  the  Committee  of  Management  of  the 
Mohammedan  Literary  Society  of  Calcutta,  on  behalf  of'the  Society  compris- 
ing Members  of  the  Mohammedan  Community  from  various  parts  of  India, 
venture  t<?  approach  your  Royal  Highness  with  most  cordial  and  most  loyal 
welcome. 

"  Of  all  the  many  vicissitudes  and  chances  through  which,  within  living 
memory,  it  has  been  the  lot  of  our  country  to  pass,  the  most  auspicious  occur- 
red on  the  day  on  which,  under  Divinely  appointed  Wisdom,  your  Royal 
Highness's  August  Mother,  who  rules  over  a  hundred  kingdoms  and  hundreds 
of  millions  of  hearts,  undertook  the  charge  of  a  troubled  empire,  to  give  peace 
and  hope  to  the  people  for  ever,  and  imbue  them  with  the  consciousness  of 
Royal  protection  and  regard.  But  however  mighty  and  signal  the  change, 
now  barely  a  quarter  of  a  century  since,  which  was  made  on  the  occasion,  the 
external  form  and  machinery  of  Government  remained  the  same,  and  only  the 
learned  amongst  us  and  those  busy  in  public  affairs  could  understand  the 
nature  as  well  as  extent  of  the  revolution  that  had  taken  place.  The  vast 
bulk  of  the  population,  unable  to  realize  an  abstract  idea  of  Supreme  Power 


THE    MOHAMMEDAN    LITERARY    SOCIETY.     .  53! 

diffusing  itself  through  and  sustaining  all  things,  hungered  for  a  visible  pres- 
ence and  embodiment  of  Royalty ;  and  the  advent  of  Your  Royal  Highness 
fulfils  the  anxious  desire,  while  it  proves  that  the  gr.at  Lady,  our  Beloved 
Queen,  whose  goodness  and  graciousness  are  over  all  Her  dominion-s,  is  ever 
mindful  of  our  welfare,  and  will  never  neglect  the  prayer  of  loyalty  and  affec- 
tion. 

"  That  the  enthusiasm  evoked  by  your  Royal  Highness's  visit  is  not  the 
mere  outburst  of  a  holiday  sentiment,  the  reception  which  your  Royal  High- 
ness has  experienced  in  other  parts  of  India  has  no  doubt  testified.  To  the 
people  of  Bengal,  and  particularly  the  Mohammedan  portion  of  them,  it  is 
fraught  with  memories  which  will  live  in  their  history  to  come.  The  overthrow 
of  our  Indian  Mohammedan  Dynasties  by  the  conduct  and  valor  of  the  British 
Nation  is  recent  enough  to  have  left  behind  some  memories  of  the  glories  of 
some  of  our  Moslem  rulers.  But  the  justice,  humanity,  and  universal  tolera- 
tion of  the  British  Nation  have  obliterated  the  past  for  us  ;  and,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  instincts  of  our  human  nature,  we  longed  for  the  moment  when 
we  could,  as  now,  regarding  vour  Royal  Highness  as  representing  our  Gra- 
cious Sovereign,  look  upon  the  object  of  our  most  precious  love  and  rev- 
erence. 

"  It  is  not  permitted  to  us,  who  have  signed 'the  Address,  to  speak  in  our 
collective  capacity  as  politically  representing  the  Mohammedan  Community  of 
all  India  or  all  Bengal ;  but  each  can  individually  bear  witness  to  the  fact  that 
in  his  own  immediate  will  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  the  inmost  recesses  of 
Mohammedan  feeling  have  been  stirred  in  a  manner  in  which  their  depths 
have  never  been  moved  before  ;  that  a  reanimated  sense  of  personal  fealty  to 
your  Royal  Highness's  family  has  dawned  over  them ;  and  that  your  Royal 
Highness,  as  our  future  King  and  Emperor,  is  the  centre  of  a  world  of  devo- 
tion and  allegiance  becoming  intensified  day  by  day. 

"  The  special  functions  assumed  to  itself  by  the  Mohammedan  Literary 
Society  is  to  promote  among  our  co-religionists  a  knowledge,  and  also  an  in- 
clination for  the  study  of  the  physical  sciences  of  the  West.  As  a  means  to 
this  end,  opportunities  are  seized  upon  for  bringing  about  occasions  of  inter- 
course between  European  gentlemen  of  scientific  repute  and  members  of  the 
Mohammedan  Community,  and  thus  fostering  the  germs  of  mutual  good-will 
between  the  race  of  rulers  and  of  the  ruled.  In  the  furtherance  of  such  a 
cause  we  respectfully  solicit  your  Royal  Highness's  countenance  and  encour- 
agement. 

"  However  poor  and  inadequate  the  expression,  we  beg  your  Royal  High- 
ness's  acceptance  of  this  humble  tribute  of  sincere  and  lasting  homage  ;  we 
implore  the  Almighty  Ruler  of  the  world  to  shower  down  untold  blessings 
upon  your  Royal  Highness,  and  your  Royal  Highness's  illustrious  family." 


532  ADDRESSES. 

AGRA. 

"  The  Municipal  Commissioners  of  Agra  desire  to  express  fervent  loyal- 
ty and  devotion  to  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  Queen  Victoria,  our  Sover- 
eign, and  our  great  joy  on  the  occasion  or  this  visit  with  which  your  Royal 
Highness  has  been  pleased  to  honor  this  city.  Within  sight  of  the  walls  of 
that  ancient  fortress  which  bears  witness  to  the  magnificence  of  former  Em- 
perors we  welcome  your  Royal  Highness,  the  representative  of  a  Sovereign 
whose  Empire  extends  far  beyond  the  limits  of  the  sway  of  the  mightiest 
monarch  ever  enthroned  at  Agra.  We  gratefully  recognize  in  the  justice  and 
tolerant  impartiality  of  our  Empress  Sovereign's  rule,imperial  qualities  which 
especially  distinguished  the  wisest  of  the  House  of  Timour — the  founder  of 
this  city  which  welcomes  you  to-day — Emperor  Akbar.  The  joy  and  pride 
which  we  now  feel  would  have  been  completed  had  it  been  possible  for  her 
Royal  Highness,  the  Princess  of  Wales,  to  honor  us  with  her  gracious  presence 
on  this  auspicious  occasion.  We  believe  and  trust  that  the  tour  of  your  Royal 
Highness  through  India  will  tend  to  draw  closer  the  ties  which  bind  her  to 
England,  and  will  be  a  source  of  benefit  to  this  country  as  well  as  of  pleasure 
and  interest  to  yourself." 

THE  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  OF  THE  PUNJAUB. 

"  We,  your  Royal  Highness's  humble  servants,  approach  your  august 
presence.  We  do  not  represent  any  great  State  or  city,  but  we  are  a  little 
flock  gathered,  by  the  grace  of  God,  in  the  course  of  about  thirty  years  '  out  of 
every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  nation  '  of  this  Province  ;  a  flock  which  by  the 
power  of  God  is  increasing  day  by  day. 

"  We  rejoice  exceedingly  that  your  Royal  Highness  has  honored  this 
country  with  your  presence ;  for,  as  subjects  of  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty 
the  Queen,  in  addition  to  that  prosperity  which  all  the  people  of  this  country 
derive  from  Her  Majesty's  Government,  we  have  received  even  greater  bless- 
ings under  British  rule,  namely,  those  spiritual  blessings  which  are  imperish- 
able and  far  better  than  this  world's  treasures. 

"  God  has  now  given  us  a  most  welcome  opportunity  of  offering  to  the 
Heir  Apparent  to  the  Throne  of  this  country  a  tribute  of  our  devotion  and 
respect,  and  of  assuring  your  Royal  Highness  how  deeply  we  feel  indebted  to 
those  Christian  people,  of  whose  labors  and  self-denial  we  are  the  fruit. 
We  have  been  called  to  God  by  foreign  missionaries,  who,  in  giving  us 
spiritual  instruction  and  support,  have  displayed  an  energy  and  endurance 
which  the  Christians  of  India  in  generations  to  come  will  not  forget.  For 
although  this  Government  does  not  in  any  way  interfere  with  religious  belief, 
still  Christian  people  have  found  under  British  rule  an  opportunity  of  pro- 
claiming in  this  country  the  Word  of  God,  which  has  been  the  means  of  great 


RUNJEET  SING'S  MAUSOLEUM.  533 

blessing  to  other  lands,  and  by  which  the  darkness  of  this  land  is  being  grad- 
ually removed,  and  light  and  purity  are  being  diffused. 

"  With  great  pleasure  and  thankfulness,  we  beg  that  your  Royal  High- 
ness will  be  graciously  pleased  to  accept  copies  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  in 
Urdu,  Persian,  Punjabi,  and  Afghani,  which  have  been  translated  by  foreign 
missionaries  for  our  benefit;  and  we  pray  that  the  rule  of  Her  Most  Gracious 
Majesty  the  Queen,  whose  piety  and  holy  life  are  an  example  to  her  subjects, 
may  be  established  and  prolonged,  and  also  that  the  Divine  protection  may 
ever  be  vouchsafed  to  your  Royal  Highness,  that  you  may  be  enriched  with 
heavenly  b]essings,  and  in  all  things  glorify  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

LAHORE. 

"  We  beg  humbly  to  express  our  thanks  that  it  has  pleased  the  Heir 
Apparent  of  the  Throne  to  honor  with  his  presence  this  distant  portion  of 
Her  Majesty's  dominions;  for  we  see  in  this  auspicious  visit,  following  that  of 
"his  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  another  proof  of  the  warm  interest 
taken  in  our  welfare  by  our  Gracious  Sovereign  and  the  members  of  the  Royal 
Family. 

"  Though  distant  from  the  Capital  of  England,  and  among  the  youngest 
sons  of  her  Great  Empire,  we  claim,  in  common  with  our  countrymen,  a  fore- 
most rank  among  the  loyal  subjects  of  the  Crown  ;  for,  placed  at  the  north- 
western door  of  India,  on  the  borders  of  regions  untraversed  by  Europeans, 
and  mindful  of  our  own  past  history,  we  are  in  a  position  to  appreciate  even 
more  than  others  the  benefits  of  British  Rule. 

"  For  those  great  benefits  we  hope  ever  to  evince  in  acts,  as  we  now  ex- 
press in  words,  the  gratitude  of  a  faithful  people." 


THE  MANAGERS  OF  RUNJEET  SING'S  MAUSOLEUM. 

"  We,  the  Managers  of  the  Mausoleum,  beg  to  approach  your  Royal  High- 
ness with  feelings  of  the  deepest  loyalty  and  offer  our  cordial  welcome  for  the 
visit  paid  to  the  edifice,  consecrated  to  the  relics  of  the  departed  Royalty  of 
this  country.  We  never  expected  such  an  unusual  honor,  ever  since  the 
memorable  visit  of  his  Grace,  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh.  It  is,  however,  re- 
alized. We  rejoice  in  it,  and  once  more  pay  our  homage  to  your  Royal  High- 
ness for  the  honor  once  done. 

"  It  is  very  perperous  for  the  Commons,  and  we  are  really  immaculated 
to  havj  a  personal  appearance  of  A  Royal  Prince.  We  have  nothing  to  adore 
our  Lord  4M4J|£  the  Emperor,  according  to  Hindo®  Sastras  Bhugbutgellah 
II  Section  27  verse  rKHI^HU  fTJIJT  'Nurranuncho  Nuradheephann,' 
also  Adage  ^}fc(4.4l  W<0y<"  Delhisuro  bah  Jugodisoro  and  in  Mo- 


534  ADDRESSES. 


hammedan's  ^*  \}  Zoolilah,  i.  e.  the  Emperor  is  a  shadow  of  Almighty. 
This  Mausoleum  was  erected  by  the  Raja  Khurk  Sing,  son  of  Maharaja  Run- 
jeet  Sing,  in  the  year  1839,  nearly  thirty-six  years  ago. 

"  Though  Lahore  is  far  inferior  to  other  Presendencies  in  almost  every 
respect  which  your  Royal  Highness  visited,  the  fidelity  and  loyalty  which  we 
feel  warm  in  our  bosom  will  for  ever  remain  unchanged  for  your  Royal 
Highness  and  Her  Majesty  the  Queen  of  Britain.  We  sincerely  pray  for 
health,  happiness,  and  safe  journey  of  your  Royal  Highness  through  this 
country,  and  remain, 

"  With  the  greatest  respect  your  Royal  Highness's 

"  Most  obedient  and  devoted  subjects  and  humble  servants,. 
"NURSING  PROSAND  ROY  (for  the  GRINTHIANS). 
"  2$th  January,  1876." 

THE  MUNICIPAL  COUNCIL  OF  KANDY. 

"  The  prosperous  condition  of  the  Kandyan  country,  the  peace  and  se- 
curity which  every  Native  homestead,  scattered  throughout  this  important 
Province,  is  now  privileged  to  enjoy  —  the  material  and  social  advancement  of 
the  people  —  the  contentment  which  is  apparent  among  the  different  sections 
of  the  community  —  are,  it  is  our  pleasing  duty  to  acknowledge,  but  a  few  of 
the  beneficial  results  which  have  marked  the  British  rule  in  this  Island. 

"  The  introduction  of  wise  and  beneficent  laws,  and  the  continued  efforts 
which  have  been  made  to  promote  the  interests  of  all  classes,  have  tended  to 
foster  feelings  of  loyalty  and  attachment  to  the  Government,  which  we  feel 
confident  will  be  strengthened  by  this  visit  of  your  Royal  Highness." 


THE  TALUKDARS  OF  OUDH. 

"  We,  the  Taiukdars  of  Oudh,  as  faithful  subjects  of  the  Empress  of  In- 
dia, most  humbly  and  dutifully  offer  to  your  Royal  Highness,  the  illustrious 
representative  of  the  Royal  Family,  a  cordial  welcome  to  this  remote  corner 
of  her  Majesty's  realm.  That  your  Royal  Highness,  after  long  travels  by  land 
and  sea,  should  have  deigned  to  honor  us  this  evening  with  your  Royal 
Highness's  presence,  makes  our  hearts  proud  as  well  as  thankful ;  and  the 
present  occasion,  when  our  eyes  have  been  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  our  future 
Emperor,  will  ever  remain  with  us  a  fond  and  honored  tradition. 

"  Although  we  have  owed  allegiance  to  the  British  Crown  for  the  com- 
paratively brief  period  of  a  score  of  years,  we  can  assure  your  Royal  Highness 
that  our  fealty  is  as  firmly  established  as  if  it  had  been  handed  down  to  us 
through  a  long  succession  of  dynasties;  and  we  humbly  trust  your  Royal 
Highness  will  convey  to  our  august  Empress  the  assurance  that  the  Taiukdars 


POETICAL    ADDRESSES.  535 

of  Oudh,  though  the  last  to  become  her  Majesty's  subjects  in  India,  are  second 
to  none  in  the  sincerity  to  their  loyalty. 

"Nay  more,  your  Royal  Highness,  we  know  that  our  loyalty  to  the  Brit- 
ish Government  is  both  reasonable  and  right ;  for  it  is  to  the  benign  rule  of 
your  Royal  Mother  that  we  owe  the  security  of  our  rights  and  vested  interests, 
as  well  as  the  permanence  of  our  position,  dignity,  and  rank,  as  the  landed 
aristocracy  of  Oudh. 

"  At  the  same  time,  we  assure  your  Royal  Highness  that  we  are  grateful 
to  the  British  Government  for  its  efforts  to  improve  the  general  condition  of 
the  people  of  the  Province.  We  are  thankful  that  reforms  are  from  time  to 
time  introduced  into  every  branch  of  the  Administration, — not  abruptly  but 
gradually  ;  and  with  that  due  regard  to  ancient  rights  and  time-honored  cus- 
toms which  alone  can  produce  a  useful  and  lasting  reform. 

"  We  would  further  entreat  your  Royal  Highness  to  convey  to  your  Royal 
Consort  our  humble  assurance  that,  though  the  boundless  ocean  prevents  us 
from  laying  the  tribute  of  our  devotion  at  her  Highness's  feet,  it  is  none  the  less- 
certain  that  the  majesty  of  her  presence  reigns  supreme  in  our  hearts. 

"  In  conclusion,  we  humbly  approach  your  Royal  Highness  with  this  mod- 
est tribute  of  our  allegiance  and  gratitude,  which  we  fondly  hope  your  Royal 
Highness  will  deign  to  accept  as  a  fit  emblem  of  the  fealty  of  the  Talukdars 
of  Oudh  to  the  British  Crown." 


POETICAL  ADDRESSES. 

THE  hyperbole  of  Oriental  poetry  appears  very  ludicrous  when  translated 
by  those  who  give  not  the  inner  meaning,  but  only  the  bald  dictionary  correl- 
atives of  the  words  of  the  poet.  It  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  ridiculing  what 
may  be  a  very  creditable  production  that  I  quote  a  few  lines  of  a  Sanscrit 
poem,  by  Raghunath  Rao  Vithal  Vinchoorkar,  described  as  "  First  class  Sh;- 
dar  ;  Companion  of  the  most  exalted  Order  of  the  Star  of  India  ;  Raja  Oomdut 
Oolmulk,  Bahadoor,"  entitled  "  The  Indian  Journey  of  the  Prince  of  Wales," 
printed  at  a  native  press  in  Bombay,  and  dedicated  to  the  Prince.  The  trans- 
lator was  assisted  by  the  Professor  of  Sanscrit  at  the  Elphinstone  College. 
The  poem  commences  with  a  eulogium  on  England  as  a  "  famous  country  on 
the  terrestrial  globe  which,  endowed  with  prosperity,  shines  verily  in  the 
north-western  corner  with  a  heavenly  glory.  Whose  brave  things,  like  the 
autumnal  suns,  delighted  their  Padma-like  friends  (Padma  being  a  species  of 
lotus,  blooming  in  sunlight),  and  brought  on  a  pallor  to  the  host  of  their  Kum- 
uda-like  enemies  (Kumuda  being  a  species  of  lotus  blowing  open  in  moonlight) 


5  $6  EULOGIUM    ON   ENGLAND. 

by  their  ray-like  hands.  Whose  forces,  consisting  of  numberless  ships,  mov- 
ing on  the  bottomless  sea,  cause  her  enemies  to  sink  by  their  very  sight  in  the 
ocean  of  the  world,  in  half  a  moment."  We  are  told  that  the  sea,  "  inaccessi- 
ble in  consequence  of  frightful  animals  with  cave-like  mouths,  swimming  with- 
in its  bowels,  and  dreadful  to  look  at,  because  of  waves  as  high  as  mountains," 
is  the  fort  within  which  this  country  dwells.  London  is  compared  to  a  beauti- 
ful woman,  shining  with  ornaments,  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  "  where 
shine  very  lofty  palaces,  various  factories,  libraries  containing  books  stored  by 
renowned  scholars,  charity  houses,  and  an  observatory  built  of  marble  ;  lovely 
mountains  and  pleasant  rivers,  trees  and  creepers  full  of  fruits  and  flowers, 
and  very  delightful  forests,  abounding  in  beasts  of  every  variety."  The  gene- 
alogy of  the  Prince  is  next  given,  beginning  with  "  a  King  named  George,  who 
was  of  good  deportment,  like  a  shining  pearl,"  and  who,  by  his  "white 
and  fair  conduct  made  his  subjects  red  and  devoted."  A  foot-note  tells 
us  that  in  the  original  there  is  a  very  pretty  play  upon  words,  which  I  presume 
cannot  be  turned  into  English.  India  is  described  as  having  been  "  enjoyed 
with  violence  by  intoxicated,  wicked,  and  oppressive  kings,"  and  as  having 
taken  shelter  under  the  great  Queen,  "  seeing  whose  astonishing  beauty,  peo- 
ple formerly  desirous  to  see  Rati  have  slackened  their  wish,  and  are  content 
with  Her  Majesty,  who,  seated  on  the  throne,  with  the  lamps  of  the  diadem 
gems  of  tributary  Princes  whirling  round  her  lotus-like  feet,  is  worthy  of  be- 
ing looked  at  by  all  people,  like  Royal  splendor  incarnate  on  earth."  After 
an  outburst  of  praise  for  all  she  has  done  in  the  spread  of  science,  and  of  all 
the  arts  that  promote'  the  good  of  men,  the  poet  says  :  "  She  levies  taxes  for 
our  prosperity,  dispels  all  our  fears,  and  cherishes  us  with  affection  :  Victoria 
is  therefore  our  mother-like  Queen."  The  cause  of  the  Prince's  journey  is 
tersely  put.  "  Disputes  often  take  place  in  Parliament  respecting  the  real  state 
of  the  Queen's  subjects.  Some  say,  'Her  Hindoo  subjects  are  poor;  their 
miseries  are  great ; '  others  say, '  It  is  false.'  Was  it,  then,  to  decide  the  matter 
that  the  Queen  sent  her  own  son  ?  "  The  question  is  not  answered  by  the  poet ; 
but  he  evidently  infers  that  some  such  object  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  journey. 
He  asks,  "  Did  the  Queen  send  out  her  eldest  son  at  once,  because  conscious 
that  it  is  of  advantage  to  inquire  whether  officers  appointed  by  herself  act  in 
conformity  with  the  rules  laid  down  for  the  protection  of  her  subjects  ?  India 
is  well  worth  such  a  visit.  The  best  of  countries  ;  the  fertile  land  where  gold 
and  gems  are  found  ;  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  in  olden  times  versed  in 
arts,  and  rich  in  learning,  and  which  became  an  object  of  desire  to  Western 
kings  in  consequence  of  its  wealth."  The  arrival  at  Bombay  is  next  set  forth  : 
"  When  the  Queen's  son  set  his  foot  on  land  from  the  barge,  the  terrestrial 
globe  seemed  to  be  shaken  by  the  thundering  of  guns."  The  Princes  re- 
ceived him  from  "  his  palace-like  ship,"  and  bowed  low  when  they  saw  "  the 
person  of  the  son  of  the  paramount  Sovereign."  "  The  Queen's  representative 
appointed  to  protect  India  "  supported  the  Prince,  and  the  people,  "  with  their 


A   WELCOME   ADDRESS.  537 

lotus-like  eyes  dilated  through  delight,"  saw  him  step  into  the  middle  of  the 
carriage.  "  Then,  as  the  sun  sank  down,  the  moon,  in  the  shape  of  the  Prince  by 
his  charming  lustre,  rising,  blew  open  the  Kumuda-lotuses  of  the  eyes  of  people 
in  Bombay."  An  enumeration  of  all  the  blessings  which  the  Queen  has  be- 
stowed on  India — "  the  telegraph,  which  carries  intelligence  swiftly  "  ships, 
"  carriages  moved  by  fire,"  "  hospitals  for  the  poor,"  machines  for  printing 
newspapers,  libraries,  "  the  pursuit  of  female  education,"  trade,  "  unrestrained 
acquisition  of  freedom  ; "  "  travelling  unattended  with  trouble,"  and  "  roads 
free  from  the  fear  of  bandits."  "  Of  Her  through  whose  grace  "  all  this  is 
obtained  "  this  Prince  is  a  son,  and  certain  to  be  our  King.  He  is  learned  ; 
the  appreciator  of  merits  ;  benevolent ;  bountiful ;  the  very  ocean  of  kindness  j 
the  hater  of  the  crowd  of  wicked  people  ;  modest,  just,  and  the  lover  of  truth. 
Long  live  this  Prince,  our  Lord !  adorned  with  so  many  excellent  qualities." 
He  is  described  as  "  the'water-basin  for  the  growing  creeper  of  Politics ;  the 
ocean  of  the  rising  moon  of  genteelness ;  the  mountain  on  which  grow  the 
shining  gems  of  virtues  ;  the  arani  of  the  fire  of  valor  ;  the  pleasure  hall  for 
the  lovely  maiden  of  knowledge ;  the  wearer  of  the  true  ornaments — the  ruby 
of  honesty  and  the  abode  of  real  joy."  He  is  "  the  young  paramount  Sovereign" 
giving  "  the  honor  due  to  each  of  the  subordinate  Princes  "  at  Bombay,  Mad- 
ras, Calcutta,  and  in  the  "  city  of  Delhi,  of  world-wide  fame,  once  the  scat  of 
great  Mohammedan  rulers."  Viewing  at  Delhi  "  the  large  array  of  troops  dis- 
played by  the  Commander-in-Chief,  he,  with  all  his  suite,  sank  instantly  in  the 
ocean  of  wonder.  Having  thus  seen  what  is  worthy,  and  pleased  himself,  and 
pleased  the  people,  he  set  off  for  England.  All  chiefs,  whether  pure  Kshatrias, 
Brahmins,  Vaisias,  Stidras,  Mohammedans,  Buddhas,  or  Jains,  differing  in 
caste  as  they  do,  unite  in  praying  for  ever  to  the  Almighty  for  the  good  of  the 
Prince  in  forms  proper  to  their  several  faiths." 

The  Superintendent  of  State  Education  in  Indore,  Raojee  Wasudeva 
Tullu,  M.  A.,  wrote  "  a  Welcome  Address  "  : — 

"  All  hail !  Victoria's  son,  thrice  welcome  hail  ! 

With  hearts  full  joyous,  we  thy  presence  greet. 
Hail !  youthful  Prince  !  we  now  ourselves  avail 
To  speak  our  hearts,  with  love  and  joy  replete. 

"  As  when  the  Lord  of  Stars,  in  days  of  yore, 

First  from  the  deep  to  azure  sky  arose, 
Thus,  from  a  land  ten  thousand  miles  and  more, 
Thy  visit  charms  all  eyes,  that  joy  disclose." 

Remembering  how,  that  when  the  Prince  has  left,  the  Maharaja  remains 
behind,  the  Superintendent  of  State  Education  pays  a  delicate  compliment 
or  two  to  his  immediate  master : — 


53$  SPEECHES. 

"  In  blessed  Malwa  rich,  the  first  is  Indore  land, 

Which  now  is  graced  by  England's  future  king ; 
Here  rules  TUKOJI  wise.     Let  friendship's  band 
In  close  alliance  these  two  powers  bring. 

"  Sprung  from  her  lineage  is  TUKOJI  wise, 

Who  sees  his  subjects  pleased,  himself  is  pleased; 
So  too,  thou,  Prince,  are  pleased  in  thy  allies, 

When  they  from  care  and  troubles  are  truly  eased." 

The  poet  in  the  verse  alludes  to  the  descent  of  Holkar  from  Ahalya  "  a 
Queen  divine,  a  unique.  Hindoo  Princess,    Nonpareil." 


SPEECH  of  the  MAHARAJA  OF  PUTTIALA. — (Page  389.) 

"January  24th. 

"This  occasion  on  which  your  Royal  Highness,  our  future  Emperor, 
and  the  most  beloved  son  of  our  gracious,  glorious,  and  illustrious  Sov- 
ereign, the  Queen,  has  been  pleased  to  condescend  to  accept  this  my 
humble  entertainment,  and  thus  to  bestow  a  very  high  honor  on  this  State, 
is  a  source  of  great  pleasure  and  pride  to  the  Puttiala  family. 

"  The  family  of  Puttiala  is  very  proud  of  this,  that  seventy-three  years  ago, 
since  friendly  relations  have  been  made  with  the  British  Government,  it  has 
by  the  series  of  its  continued,  long,  and  uninterrupted  services,  attained  an 
especial  predominance,  distinction,  and  conspicuousness  over  all  the  other 
Native  States  of  Hindoostan,  and  has,  owing  to  this,  always  gained  the  favors 
and  kindness  of  the  British  Government,  which,  it  is  hoped,  will  always 
be  continued  on  this  faithful  family. 

"  This  place,  known  by  the  name  of  Rajpoorat,  although  it  has  lately 
been  reckoned  as  one  of  the  gates  of  the  capital  of  Puttiala,  is  not  a  very 
large  city,  and  is  very  insignificant  in  itself.  It  does  not  pretend  to  have  any 
very  large  ancient  buildings  or  anything  of  historical  importance,  so  as  to  at- 
tract the  attention  and  curiosity  of  your  Royal  Highness,  whose  condescension 
therefore,  in  making  time,  in  order  to  grant  me  the  honor  of  entertaining  your 
Royal  Highness  at  such  an  insignificant  place  as  this,  is  a  vivid  proof  of  that  spe- 
cial favor  of  Government  with  which  this  State  has  always  been  treated.  I  there- 
fore avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  offer  my  sincerest  and  most  heartfelt 
thanks  to  your  Royal  Highness  for  the  same. 

"These  few  tents  in  which  this  poor  entertainment  is  offered  to  your 
Royal  H;ghness  are  not  fit  for  the  Royal  entertainment  of  a  Royal  guest,  but 
there  is  an  adage  in  this  country  which  is  very  appropriate  here — 


SPEECHES.  539 

"  '  Sudar  hir  ja  ke  nushinud  sudar  ast.' 

That  is,  '  That  wherever  the  Chief  is,  it  is  the  chief  place.' 

"This  uight  will  be  a  memorable  event  in  the  history  of  the  Puttiala 
family,  and  the  thought  of  my  being  the  first  of  the  family  in  having  the  hon- 
or of  receiving  our  future  Emperor  in  my  territory  is  very  pleasing. 

"  1  am  well  convinced  that  your  Royal  Highness  and  her  Majesty  the 
Queen  are  fully  aware  of  the  services,  loyalty,  and  devotion  of  our  family, 
and  if  they  are  ever  required  in  any  dark  emergency,  which  God  forbid,  I  am 
ready  to  come  forward  with  all  I  have,  sacrificing  even  my  life.  I  earnestly 
hope  that  the  feelings  of  loyalty  and  faithfulness  which  I  have  received  as  a 
heritage  from  my  forefathers  will  go  down  to  my  successors,  and  that  they 
will  always  take  pride  in  them. 

"  Before  concluding  this  my  humble  address  with  the  fervent  prayer  for 
the  long  life  and  sound  health  of  her  Gracious  Majesty  the  Queen,  and  all  the 
members  of  the  Royal  family,  and  for  the  uninterrupted  continuance  of  the 
British  rule  in  India,  which  has  been  full  of  great  and  many  blessings  to  us, 
I  propose  to  you  gentlemen  present  in  this  assembly,  this  toast,  the  good 
health  of  his  Royal  Highness." 


THE  KING  OF  PORTUGAL'S  SPEECH. — (Page  498.) 

"  Ce  n'est  pas  la  premiere  fois  qu'un  prince  anglais  vient  en  Portugal, 
mais  c'est  pourtant  la  premiere  qu'une  visite  officielle  a  lieu  et  je  la  considere 
comme  la  preuve  evidente  des  bons  rapports  entre  1'Angleterre  et  le  Portugal. 
Je  m'en  felicite  de  ce  que  pendant  mon  regne  cette  visite  ait  lieu.  Je  m'en 
felicite  parce  que  c'est  une  visite  de  1'Angleterre  au  Portugal.  Je  m'en  felici- 
te parce  que  c'est  la  preuve  que  c'est  ce  prince,  qui,  un  jour,  portera  la  couronne 
d'Angleterre  qui  vient  au  nom  de  la  Reine  et  de  son  pays  donner  1'assurance 
aux  traites  qui  nous  lient  comme  allies  depuis  plusieurs.  siecles.  Je  m'en 
felicite,  parce  que  deux  peuples  qui  ont  les  memes  principes  politiques,  jaloux 
tous  les  deux  de  leur  independance  et  pour  qui  le  mot  patrie  est  une  verite  et 
non  un  mensonge,  se  donnent  1'accolade  fraternelle  de  deux  peuples  libres 
dans  leurs  institutions  et  egalement  identified  avec  leurs  dynasties  constitution- 
nelles.  En  saluant  Votre  Altesse,  il  y  a  trois  santes  que  je  ne  veux  pas  separer : 
Dieu  garde  la  Reine,  votre  gracieuse  et  auguste  mere.  Qu'il  protege  le  Prince  de 
Galles,  et  veille  sur  la  nation  Anglaise." 


THE     NATIVE    PRESS. 


THERE  is  in  each  Presidency  an  officer  with  functions  corresponding,  in 
some  degree,  to  those  of  the  Chief  of  the  Press  Bureaux  in  foreign  countries, 
whose  business  it  is  to  furnish  the  Government  with  a  weekly  precis  of  the 
articles  in  the  Native  newspapers  relating  to  foreign  and  domestic  policy, 
administration,  internal  affairs,  &c.,  and  to  direct  attention  to  complaints 
and  misstatements,  but  he  has  no  power  of  control  or  censure.  These 
reports  are  "  confidential,"  and  are  only  sent  to  the  Governor  and  the 
higher  officials  of  each  Presidency.  The  tone  of  some  Native  papers  is  so 
very  hostile  to  the  Government,  and  to  the  magistracy  generally,  as  to  excite 
uneasiness,  and  to  invite  the  consideration  of  measures  of  repression. 
The  younger  and  less  experienced  members  of  the  Civil  Service  are  much 
in  favor  of  a  vigorous  censorship  and  of  stringent  press  laws,  whilst  they 
assert,  at  the  same  time,  that  the  Native  press  has  small  influence,  and 
that  no  one  should  pay  attention  to  it.  Those  who  advocate  repression  lose 
sight  of,  or  undervalue,  the  immense  benefit  to  Government  of  learning  what 
the  people  are  saying  about  their  rulers.  I  here  give  some  translations  of 
articles  in  Native  papers  published  in  Bombay,  Madras,  &c  : — 


"  Vedanta  Nirnaya  Pathricai"  (Tamil  newspaper),  dated 
\<fh  November,  1875. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  set  out  from  England  on  the 
nth  October,  1875,  to  visit  India.  This  was  ordered  by  her  Majesty  Queen 
Victoria,  and  by  the  most  Honorable  the  Parliament  of  England.  It  will 
ever  be  memorable,  by  honors  and  amusements,  in  all  the  places  where  he 
will  stay  during  his  voyage  or  journey.  He  went  over  to  France,  where  in 
the  capital,  the  Government  and  the  inhabitants  paid  him  respect,  and 
540 


TAMIL.  541 

honored  him  as  the  great  Prince  of  Great  Britain.  When  the  steamer 
Serapis  touched  at  Aden,  the  chief  members  of  the  Government  of  the  place 
and  other  officials  and  people,  congregated  near  the  sea-shore,  where  the  25th 
Regiment  of  Infantry  was  placed  as  Guard  of  honor  jnd  escorted  him  with 
'  Royal  Honors,  chanting  '  The  God  Save  the  Queen.'  An  Address  was  then 
read  to  him  by  Kavoojee  Dui  Shaw,  a  nobleman  of  the  place,  which  was 
answered  by  the  Prince.  And  then,  on  the  8th  of  November,  the  Seraph 
arrived  at  Bombay,  where  also  a  great  deal  of  honor  and  special  respect  was 
paid  to  the  Prince.  If  convenient,  we  shall  advert  to  this  subject  in  our  next 


"  Vedanta  Nirnaya" 

11  The  steamer  Serapis  was  in  sight  at  the  Port  of  Bombay  on  the  8th  ultimo. 
Three  guns  were  fired  to  denote  the  arrival  of  the  Prince.  All  the  people 
of  the  city,  who  were  expecting  since  a  month,  rejoiced  exceedingly.  A 
salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  fired  solemnly  from  the  men-of-war.  The  rays 
of  the  morning  sun  appeared  on  the  waters  of  the  sea,  and  shone  like  golden 
beams.  In  all  the  ships  in  the  Roads  colors  and  flags  were  hoisted.  At 
which  time  males  and  females  came  in  dense  crowds  to  the  sea-shore,  and 
were  quite  taken  up  by  the  scene,  where  there  was  a  great  clamor  of  ships 
borne  by  the  hands  of  the  sea  maidens.  Then,  about  half-past  four  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  Lord  Northbrook,  the  Governor-General  of  India,  and  Sir 
Philip  Wodehouse,  the  Governor  of  Bombay,  together  with  the  chief  officials, 
went  up  to  the  Serapis,  and  visited  the  Prince  with  respect ;  after  which  the 
Prince,  attended  by  the  above  nobles,  landed  from  the  Set-apis,  and,  walking  gen- 
tly, got  up  in  the  middle  of  an  embellished  building  near  the  Beach.  There  were 
high  seats  prepared  on  each  side,  so  as  to  contain  nearly  five  hundred  persons. 
In  the  main  road  were  spread  superior  carpets.  Nqar  that  building  stood  the 
Regiment  of  European  Fusiliers  in  parade  and  paid  the  due  honors.  The 
band  played  '  God  savet  the  Queen.'  Immediately  her  Royal  son,  standing 
in  the  midst  of  the  assembly,  advanced  two  feet  forward,  when  an  Address, 
prepared  by  the  Committee  of  the  City  Decoration,  was  read  by  Dada  Bahee 
Baheramjee,  which  was  then  put  into  a  fine  covered  case,  and  was  presented 
into  the  hands  of  our  Queen's  son.  To  which  the  Prince  replied  properly. 
Again  the  Shahzadahhad  interviews  with  every  native  King  with  much  pleas- 
ure, and  when  he  was  going  in  his  Royal  carriage  towards  the  Government 
House,  Parsee  maids,  well  dressed,  met  him  in  the  road,  and  poured  showers 
off  flowers  at  his  feet,  and  sprinkled  odorous  scents.  Being  struck  with  aston- 
ishment, the  Prince  halted  a  while,  stooped  his  head,  and  paid  them  his  respects. 
And  then,  going  along  in  procession  through  the  decorated  streets,  he  was 
dropped  at  the  Government  House.  He  went,  after  a  few  days,  to  Poonah  and 


542  ™E    NATIVE    PRESS. 

Baroda,  in  the  Bombay  Presidency,  where  also  the  respective,  inhabitants  wel- 
comed him,  and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  many  sights  of  wrestling 
and  wild-beast  fighting.  He  was  much  pleased  with  one  Pilanteen,  who 
played  upon  a  rope,  or  very  cleverly  walked  upon  it,  suspended  by  the  power 
of  steam-machine.  We  are  now  obliged  to  stop,  as  it  will  take  too  much' 
space  if  we  want  to  relate  all." 


From  the  "  Andhra  B kasha  Sanjavani"  (Telugu),  Madras, 
1 3th  November,  1875. 

"  We  are  glad  to  hear  that  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  has 
resolved  upon  subscribing  for  and  seeing  the  English  newspapers  of  India, 
during  his  stay  here.  We  are  of  opinion  that  this  is  beneficial,  but  we  regret 
to  observe  that  the  vernacular  papers  have  not  been  fortunate  enough  to  be 
blessed  with  the  Royal  glance.*  Perhaps  his  Royal  Highness  might  have 
been  under  the  impression  that  the  opinions  and  sentiments  of  the  teeming 
millions  of  India  could  be  understood  through  Anglo-Indian  papers.  We 
consider  this  as  quite  erroneus;  most  of  the  A.nglo-Indian  papers  are  con- 
ducted by  Englishmen.  No  doubt  there  are  some  English  papers  under  the 
direction  and  editorship  of  the  natives;  but  they  generally  follow  the  purely 
English  papers.  Thus,  those  papers  give  expression  rather  more  to  what 
Englishmen  think  of  the  natives  than  to  what  the  natives  think  themselves. 
Is  it  possible  to  grasp  native  opinion  from  such  papers?  Whatever  may  be 
the  firm  footing  of  the  British  in  India,  still  this  country  will  go  by  the  name 
of  Hindoostan  rather  than  by  the  name  Anglostan.  Differences  of  opinion 
are  as  inevitable  as  differences  of  color  and  caste.  Is  it  not  on  account  of 
this  that  our  Government  are  subscribing  for  and  paying  attention  to  the 
sentiments  expressed  in  the  vernacular  papers  of  this  Presidency.  Conse- 
quently, it  is  desirable  for  our  Prince  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  opinions 
of  the  Natives  as  the  Government  are  doing.  Although  it  may  be  asserted 
that  the  aim  of  our  Prince,  in  subscribing  for  those  papers,  is  to  patronize 
his  people,  and  not  to  know  their  opinions  ;  still  are  not  Indian  vernaculars, 
languages  like  his  own  ?  Are  not  the  Hindoos,  equally  with  the  English, 
acceptable  to  our  Prince  ?  Can  the  ruled  be  overlooked  by  the  rulers  as 
foreigners  ?  Have  not  British  rulers  been  ever  justly  famed  for  treating  all 
their  subjects  equally  and  impartially?  Under  these  circumstances  we  most 
humbly  solicit  the  great  generosity  of  his  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
who  is  an  ocean  of  intelligence,  to  subscribe  for  and  favor  with  a  glance 
the  vernacular  as  well  as  the  Anglo-Indian  papers." 

*  It  is  not  given  to  every  one  to  understand  Telugu. 


TAMIL.  543 

" J erida-i-Rczgan"   (a  newspaper  started  in  Madras   by   the  Mohammedan 
community,  expressly  for  the  Tour  of  the  Prince),  i6th  December. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  arrived  at  Madras,  and  the  people,  long 
expecting,  now  have  the  means  of  representing  the  pleasure  attending  his 
Royal  Highness's  joyful  arrival.  We  are  unable  to  write  in  his  praise  ;  he 
possesses  a  thousand  merits,  and  we  are  unable  to  explain  one  tenth  of  them. 
The  people  of  this  place  were  in  dark,  and  by  the  arrival  of  the  Most  Noble 
the  Prince,  the  light  has  spread  out,  and  his  lustre  is  shone  on  them  as  a 
rising  star  throws  his  light  on  the  earth.  Praise  be  to  (Allah)  God,  who  has 
given  us  such  a  joyful  day !  " 


The  same,  22d  December. 

"  For  a  few  days  Madras  had  the  pleasure  in  greeting  the  joyful  arrival 
in  the  happy  town  ;  but  now  our  Most  Noble  Prince  has  left  our  shores,  we 
see  nothing  but  dulness  and  quietness.  For  this  separation  we  feel  very  sor- 
ry. If  it  had  been  in  our  power,  we  would  not  have  allowed  him  to  depart." 


From  "  Vcltikodegone  "  (Tamil  newspaper),  i8//fc  December. 

"The  precious  son  of  her  Majesty,  the  Queen,  his  Royal  Highness  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  born  by  the  blessing  of  the  Happy  One,  the  transcendant 
Holy  Height,  whose  beginning,  middle,  and  end  are  incomprehensible,  ap- 
proached the  Perambore  Railway  Station  at  7  A.  M.  on  Monday  last,  when 
the  officers  of  the  Railway  Company,  who  awaited  to  receive  him  there,  pour- 
ed over  the  Prince  a  shower  of  various  sorts  of  odorous  flowers,  such  as  lilies, 
rose,  jessamine,  lotus,  and  the  like,  sprinkled  on  him  rose-water,  atter,  and 
other  essences  of  odor,  which  were  kept  filled  up  in  different  trays  of  gold 
set  with  precious  stones,  paid  him  all  possible  respect,  and  taking  hold  of 
him  by  his  hand  (vivid  as  the  crimson  color  of  lotus),  delightfully  inducted 
him  into  a  well-decorated  apartment  where  the  floor  was  covered  with  carpets 
of  various  colors  interwoven  with  gold.  Within  about  half-an-hour,  after  hav- 
ing visited  the  workshop  and  other  places  and  having  put  on  a  Royal  robe, 
he  got  into  the  train  and  approached  the  Roypooram  Station  at  about  a 
quarter-past  eight.  The  ornamental  decoration  and  workmanship  at  the  Rail- 
way Station  were  such  as  to  ravish  the  spectator's  sight.  His  Grace  (the 
Governor)  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  High  Court,  the 
Protestant  Bishop,  the  Right  Rev.  Dr.  Fennelly,  Bishop  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics, the  Government  Secretaries,  and  others,  as  well  as  the  Native  Princes 
and  Rajahs  of  the  five  different  soils,  and  others,  having  wished  him  a  long 


544  THE    NATIVE    PRESS. 

reign,  cheerfully  welcomed  the  Prince,  who  in  return  paid  them  respect  by 
raising  up  his  hand  of  crimson  color.  By  this  time  the  military  officers  fired 
the  guns.  All  those  and  every  one  of  the  spectators,  who  waited  with  inex- 
pressible anxiety  the  whole  previous  night,  with  their  eyes  wide  awake,  expos- 
ing themselves  to  the  fulgent  and  frigid  rays  of  the  moon,  as  well  as  the 
darting  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  fearless  of  the  dangerous  consequences  of 
the  deed,  no  sooner  heard  the  report  of  the  guns  than  they  got  up  and  stood 
with  their  hands  folded  and  their  mouths  closed,  in  the  fashion  of  Oriental 
loyalty  usually  shown  to  Sovereigns. 

"  However  diffident  we  may  feel  as  to  our  powers'to  express  the  excellent 
manner  in  which  the  Thumboo  Chetty  Street,  commencing  at  the  terminus  up 
to  the  -Madras  Government  House,  was  decorated,  yet  we  shall  try  our  best 
endeavors  to  lemove  that,  as  well  as  the  feebleness  of  our  pen,  and  describe 
the  same  as  far  as  practicable. 

"  The  diffidence  is  entirely  owing  to  the  extreme  degree  of  our  inability  to 
the  task,  since  the  Alldishasha  himself  (the  Seven-Hooded  Dragon  subter- 
ranean supporter  and  the  Divine  Commentator  of  all  the  Gravimaties)  has 
gone  down  feeling  rather  too  shy;  as  this  grandeur  is  far  above  his  powers  of 
expression,  he  is  not  adequate  to  the  task.  In  streets  on  both  sides,  colored 
flags  were  hoisted ;  artificial  groves  of  trees,  such  as  coca,  palmyra,  date,  and 
plantains,  were  exhibited,  so  thickly  that  they  appeared  to  touch  the  ethereal 
regions. 

"Heroic  military  officers  and  vehicles  of  Hindu  Kings  moved  on  in  Royal 
procession.  To  feast  their  eyes  with  the  colors  (flags)  on  the  Railway  b  'M- 
ing  the  people,  conscious  of  their  unworthy  vision  or  sight,  attempted  to  .  -v- 
form  penance  for  better  eyes  than  theirs.  There  was  a  green  canopy  set  up 
within  the  boundary  limit  of  the  Railway  Terminus,  and  it  presented  a  super- 
human workmanship.  On  the  front  of  each  of  the  pandals  there  was  an  in- 
scription of  the  British  national  anthem,  '  God  Save  the  Queen.'  In  the 
pandal  there  was  hung  an  angelic  relique  which  showered  on  his  Royal 
Highness  a  profusion  of  flowers.  The  Prince,  whose  face  was  attractive  as 
the  moon,  being  pleased  at  this,  smiled.  Immediately  Ramasaumy  Chettiar 
offered  his  loyal  respects  to  the  Prince,  who  returned  his  thanks.  From  the 
Fort  Esplanade  up  to  the  Government  House  the  green  pandals  were  all  so  ex- 
cellently beautified,  like  her  Majesty's  Windsor  Castle,  near  that  water  foun- 
tain, in  England,  presenting  a  view  of  recreation.  Orchards  from  Wallajah 
Bridge  up  to  Munro's  statue,  there  were  on  both  sides  raised-up  benches 
prepared  for  the  students  of  all  the  schools  of  Madras,  whose  numbers 
defied  calculation.  A  portion  of  them  chanted  songs  of  congratulations  to 
the  Prince  and  praises  of  the  Deity.  Then  the  Prince  stopped  his  Royal 
vehicle  a  little,  and  with  pleasure  listened  to  melodious  numbers. 

"  His  Royal  Highness  observed  the  carefulness  and  watchfulness  of  the 
respective  schoolmasters  by  the  side  of  their  students,  and  was  indescribabJ' 


OORDOO.  545 

satisfied  with  their  devotional  attention  to  their  duty.  The  side  benches  pre- 
pared for  the  officials  and  others  were  not  enough  for  their  number, 
crores  and  crores  of  them  standing  under  the  powerful  sun,  unmindful  of  the 
beams  of  the  day-maker,  like  the  blind  praying  for  eyes  who  have  realized 
their  wish  ;  when  it  was  quarter  after  nine  the  Prince  entered  into  the  Govern- 
ment House.  The  multitudes,  expressing  doubt  if  there  was  ever  such  a 
scene  beheld,  returned  home.  On  that  Evening  his  Royal  Highness  went 
to  the  Guindy  Park  Government  House ;  the  following  day,  being  the  day  of 
his  late  father's  anniversary,  the  Prince  kept  at  home  at  Guindy." 


"  Oomdatool  Akbar  "  (Oordoo  Paper),  2Oth  December, 

"  By  the  blessing  of  Almighty,  His  Royal  Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales 
arrived  at  Madras,  and  the  people  of  this  place  consider  it  a  very  fortunate 
day  in  their  life.  In  place  of  showers  of  rain,  they  are  pleased  with  showers 
of  pleasure  ;  the  beauties  of  flowers  of  the  garden  and  trees  are  in  no  way  to 
be  compared  with  the  pleasures  derived  by  the  arrival  of  our  Noble  Prince. 
We  offer  our  prayer  to  Almighty  God,  that  the  Prince  may  arrive  safely  at 
his  destination. 

"  After  his  Royal  highness  had  witnessed  the  last  General  Military  Re- 
view near  the  Government  House,  sitting  under  the  gold,  shining,  triple- 
crowned  umbrella,  supported  by  the  pillar  set  with  carbuncle,  diamond,  crys- 
tal, cat's  eye,  emerald,  lapis  lazuli,  and  blue-gem,  he  was  much  transported 
with  joy.  He  was  again  overwhelmed  in  the  ocean  of  delight  by  the  exhibi- 
tion of  fireworks,  which  laughed  to  scorn  our  Indian  fireworks.  The  skilful 
European  workmen,  who  came  from  England  for  the  purpose  of  preparing 
these  powder  combinations,  were  able  in  the  secrets  and  mysteries  of  nature 
to  change  from  minute  to  minute,  for  more  than  three  hours,  the  aspect  of  the 
blue  sky  into  crimson-red,  emerald-green,  saffron.  Crores  of  people  were 
thunderstruck,  and  imagined  that  the  sidereal  heaven  itself  has  been  trans- 
lated into  the  earth,  and  crores  again  uttered  cries  that  the  stars  were  melted 
and  poured  down.  Crores  put  forth  the  opinion  that  the  bushy  rockets  dashed 
upwards  to  measure  the  distance  between  the  celestial  and  terrestrial  orbs. 
In  like  manner  the  fireworks  exhibited  on  Serapis,  and  on  the  Body-Guard 
ships,  were  vicing  with  each  other.  As  these  were  observed  to  dive  into  and 
emerge  from  the  sea — sight  quite  novel  to  people  like  ourselves — we  stood 
with  our  eyes  wide  awake,  so  as  not  to  wink  even." 

35 


54-6  THE    NATIVE    PRESS. 

From  the  "  Andhra  Bhasha  Sanjavant,"  (Tclugu),  Madras,   nth  January, 

1876. 

"  From  the  commencement  of  the  British  rule  in  India,  to  the  time  of  the 
arrival  of  his  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  his  Royal  High- 
ness the  Prince  of  Wales  to  this  land,  Viceroys  and  Governors  of  the  different 
Presidencies  acted  as  if  they  were  British  Sovereigns.  Even  the  Collectors 
and  Judges  of  the  several  districts  and  the  British  Residents  and  Political 
Agents,  behaved  themselves  (towards  the  natives  of  India  and  Native 
Princes  and  Chiefs)  in  a  similar  manner.  This  was  owing  to  the  neglect 
which  the  Royal  Family  of  Great  Britain,  who  are  the  sole  masters  of  India, 
showed  towards  this  country  by  not  visiting  it.  Not  only  did  those  gentlemen 
look  upon  themselves  as  British  Kings,  but  even  the  people  at  large  were 
under  the  same  impression.  Such  being  the  case,  how  could  loyalty  find  a 
place  in  the  breast  o*  our  people  ?  His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Edin- 
burgh visited  the  Indian  shores.  It  was  through  this  that  such  a  thing  as  loyalty 
sprouted  up  on  the  Indian  soil.  By  the  present  visit  of  his  Royal  Highness 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  the  plant  of  Loyalty  has  struck  deep  root  here.  The 
people  at  large  are  now  in  transports  of  joy,  at  being  able  to  see  with  their 
cwn  eyes  the  son  of  their  Queen,  nay,  their  future  Emperor.  Also  they  are 
full  of  hopes  of  being  favored  with  similar  visits  at  frequent  intervals  here- 
after. Just  as  tortoises,  in  the  fable,  boast  themselves  of  having  the  moon  as 
their  King,  similarly  the  people  at  large  hitherto  had  to  speak  of  some  great 
Queen  in  an  unknown  and  distant  land,  as  their  Protectress.  They  had  to 
share  the  sorrow  of  being  ruled  by  representatives  and  servants  of  their 
Sovereign,  as  in  the  Mohammedan  times.  They  had  the  dissatisfaction  and 
grief  of  never  being  able  to  feast  their  eyes  with  a  glance  at  their  Sovereign. 
But  all  these  disappointments  and  griefs  have  now  become  things  of  the  past. 
The  Native  Rajas  and  Chiefs,  without  being  any  longer  the  poor  victims  of 
Government  servants,  are  full  of  ever-progressing  joy  and  well-merited  loy- 
alty, because  they  have  now  the  honor  and  happiness  of  seeing  with  their 
own  eyes  and  conversing  freely  with  their  British  Prince.  It  is  a  matter  produc- 
tive of  great  benefit  (both  to  the  rulers  and  the  ruled)  that  our  Prince  is 
becoming  personally  acquainted  with  native  Princes,  and  is  charming  their 
hearts  with  deserved  respect  and  honor. 

"  As  another  result  of  this  visit,  many  of  the  chief  servants  of  the  Govern- 
ment will,  casting  aside  their  (usual)  arrogance  and  superciliousness,  behave 
themselves  with  humility,  and  act  with  the  full  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  the 
Native  Rajas  and  Maharajas,  Chiefs,  &c.,  are  more  respectable  than  they,  and 
that,  after  all,  they  are  but  servants.  They  will  henceforward  conduct  them- 
selves in  harmony  with  the  respect  and  honor  due  to  the  Native  Princes, 
and  the  native  community  at  large.  These  Princes  and  the  natives  of  India 
will  act  with  gratitude  and  loyalty  towards  the  British  Government,  which 


THE   TANJORE   QUEEN.  547 

protects  them  voluntarily  without  being  entreated  (as  the  eyelid  does  the  eye). 
We  think  that  it  will  be  by  far  the  most  beneficial  thing  both  to  India  and  the 
British  rulers,  if  our  Prince  of  Wales,  the  heir  to  the  British  Crown,  is  pleased 
to  become  a  High  Court  of  Appeal  over  the  Governors-General  and  Governors 
of  the  various  Presidencies,  especially  as  his  Royal  Highness  is  now  becom- 
ing personally  acquainted  with  India  and  its  wants. 

"  In  the  second  place,  we  are  very  glad  to  find  our  Prince  invested  with 
full  authority  by  our  Great  Queen,  to  confer  titles  on  the  deserving.  We  need 
hardly  say  that  we  rejoice  in  the  fact  of  the  Prince  judiciously  exercising  that 
authority  now.  But  we  feel  it  incumbent  upon  us  to  say  a  few  words  on  one 
joint,  with  reference  to  the  investiture  of  titles.  We  do  not  see  any  reason 
•why  we  should  keep  our  opinion  in  the  background.  We  shall  then  candidly 
set  it  before  our  readers.  It  is  that  all  those  titles  which  have  been  conferred 
till  now  have  been  bestowed  upon  Maharajas,  Rajas,  high  Government  officials, 
Counsellors,  wealthy  folks,  and,  in  fact,  on  principal  paid  servants  of  the 
Government,  and  on  these  only.  But  no  titular  dignity  has  become  the  lot  of 
praiseworthy  lovers  of  learning  and  pursuers  of  poetry.  Considering  deeply, 
are  not  great  pundits  and  poets  deserving  of  honor  from  Kings  ?  Is  it  proper 
that  such  men  should  be  thrown  into  utter  oblivion  ?  Will  not  the  wealth  of 
learning  and  blessing  of  poetry  shine  perpetually,  conferring  great  happiness, 
pleasure  and  honor,  not  only  upon  its  lovers,  but  also  upon  all  those  who  have 
a  special  knowledge  of  the  language,  without  becoming  the  property  of  for- 
eigners ?  Therefore,  it  will  be  a  great  boon  both  to  the  public  and  to  these 
literate  poets,  if  our  wise  British  Prince  is  pleased  to  bestow  upon  these  titles 
as  they  deserve.  By  thus  honoring  pundits  and  poets,  our  Prince  will  be 
loudly  praised  by  all  as  a  great  connoisseur  and  patron  of  learning. " 

The  following  are  translations  by  Natives  of  the  accounts  of  visits  and 
return  visits  in  Madras  : 

"THE  TANJORE  QUEEN. 

"  This  Royal  Lady  was  not  able  to  come  in  time  to  meet  his  Royal  High- 
ness the  first  day,  but  she  came  in  a  special  train  on  the  next  day,  in  company 
with  the  Moplay  Dorai  (son-in-law),  and  the  Princess's  Consort,  in  the  Sabha 
Mantapam  (the  Royal  Court),  the  next  Thursday,  in  the  afternoon.  The 
Prince  received  them  with  all  joy  and  respect.  As  the  Tanjore  Lady  should 
not  be  seen  by  male  members  of  the  assembly,  they  let  down  a  curtain  between 
her  and  the  Prince.  Behind  the  curtain  with  the  Queen  were  standing  three 
ladies.  When  the  Queen  had  put  out  her  golden  hands,  the  Prince  with 
pleasure  shook  hands  with  her.  After  a  few  seconds,  the  Queen  put  out  her 
hands,  holding  a  golden  belt,  on  which  his  Highness's  name  was  inscribed, 
which  the  Prince  received,  and  thanked  the  Queen.  Then  the  Moplay  Dorai 
(Sakaram  Saib)  spoke  with  the  Prince  for  a  little  while  ;  after  which  the  Maha 


54-8  NATIVE    REPORTS. 

Ranee  put  her  hand  out  again,  when  the  Prince,  giving  her  a  gem-set  ring,  on 
which  his  name  was  engraved — 'Albert  Edward"1 — shook  hands  with  her. 
There  is  nobody  competent  to  estimate  the  value  of  the  workmanship  of  the 
ring.  The  Prince  presented  to  the  Tanjore  Queen  a  picture  or  a  portrait  of  his 
Royal  Mother,  Queen  Victoria.  After  a  few  more  words,  the  Royal  guests  took 
leave  of  each  other.  When  the  Maha  Ranee  came  in,  thirteen  guns  were 
fired,  and  when  she  left,  another  salute  of  thirteen  guns  was  fired." 


"RAJAH  OF  COCHIN. 

"  The  Prince  of  Wales,  with  his  retinue,  Bartle  Frere,  &c.,  proceeded  to 
the  residence  of  the  Rajah  of  Cochin,  on  the  Thursday  evening,  at  4-$-  o'clock, 
to  give  him  a  return  visit.  The  Rajah  stood  at  his  gate,  and  receiving  the 
Prince  with  all  respect,  took  him  to  the  Royal  Home,  and  after  a  few 
words  of  etiquette,  gave  him  the  following  presents  :  —  A  silver  plate, 
made  very  exquisitely  by  six  artisans,  and  ear-rings  and  neck  ornaments  and 
hand  ornaments;  and  one  pair  of  gold  bangles,  made  by  a  goldsmith  of 
Kusumba,  light-red  description.  The  latter  mentioned  jewelry  was  intended 
for  the  Princess  of  Denmark.  Then  two  mats,  of  superior  and  curious  work- 
manship, were  also  presented.  The  presents  given  by  the  Prince  to  the  Rajah 
of  Cochin  were  a  gold  breast-plate  *  for  memory.  On  one  side  of  it  was  the 
picture  of  the  Prince,  and  on  the  other  side  the  Prince  of  Wales's  feather-sign  ; 
also  a  gold  watch  and  a  gold  chain.  The  front  plate  of  the  watch  was  crystal. 
A  thick,  rich  ring,  on  which  the  Prince's  feathers  were  carved  ;  a  sword  with 
ivory  handle.  The  case  was  made  of  steel,  on  which  was  carved  '  Given  to 
the  Maha  Rajah  of  Cochin  Rama  Vurma  by  the  English  Prince. '  A  book 
also,  on  the  '  Priests  and  Warriors  of  the  Middle  Ages,'  was  presented.  After 
this  interview  the  Prince  went  to  the  residence  of  the  Prince  of  Arcot.  The 
Dewan  of  Cochin,  the  Chief  Justice,  Soobraminya  Pillay,  and  Teroo  Venkata- 
cherry,  Judge  of  the  Trichoor  Division,  went  with  him,  "  &c.t 

*  A  medallion. 

t  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Native  chroniclers  took  small  note  of  the  retinue,  but  were  par- 
ticular about  the  names  of  their  own  people.  The  Anglo-Indian  papers  adopted  the  same 
principle. 


NOTES. 


INDIAN    SNAKES. 

WHEN  the  Prince  visited  the  General  Hospital,  on  the  31  st  December,  as 
mentioned  in  page  330,  he  saw  a  very  remarkable  collection  of  snakes,  which 
are  kept  there  for  tiie  purpose  of  testing  the  efficacy  of  the  various  supposed 
antidotes  of  which  the  virtues  'are  from  time  to  time  urged  on  the  notice  of 
the  medical  authorities  by  enthusiastic  believers.  These  were  specimens  of 
the— 

1 .  Ophiophagus  Elaps. — A  snake  which  grows  to  the  length  of  twelve  feet, 
and  which  has  the  agreeable  gourmandize  of  eating  any  snake  he  can  get.     He 
is  a  congener  of  the  Cobra,  and  is  "  very  deadly.  " 

2.  Naja  tripudians  (Cobra  di  Capella). — Of  which  there  are  at  least  three 
varieties,  all  most  venomous  and  deadly. 

3.  Bungariis  c&ruleus,  or  "  Krait.  " — A  fearful  little  wretch,  of  a  blue  steel 
color,  ringed   with  white,  and  with  a  snow-white  belly  ;  a  deadly  insidious 
reptile,  frequenting  the  thatch  of  houses,  and  even  the  beds  of  the  indwellers, 
or  dropping  from  the   rafters,  &c.,  on  their  heads  and  shoulders.     He  is  not 
more  then  three  feet  long,  but  "  he  will  serve.  "    "  Can  such  things  be,  and 
overcome  us  like  a  summer  cloud  without  our  special  wonder  ?  " 

4.  Bungarus  fasciatus. — This  is  larger  than  the  Krait  and  not  so  common  ; 
very  retiring  in  his  habits,  of  rural  tastes,  living  in  the  field  instead  of  houses. 
He  is  colored  black  and  yellow,  and  is  fair  to  look  upon. 

5.  Daboia  Russellii  (called  by  Gray  Daboia  elcgans,  and  known  as  the  Tic 
Polonga  in  Ceylon,  Borah  in  Bengal). — The  Chain  Viper,  one  of  the  most 
powerful  and  deadly  in  the  world.     But  it  is  not  so  common  as  the   Cobra  or 
Krait ;  and  chiefly  frequenting  fields  and  grass-patches,  it  kills  cattle,  &c.,  rather 
than  human  beings. 

6.  Echis  carinata. — A   very  small,  active,  aggressive  and  deadly  viper ; 
common  enough  in  the  Punjaub,  North- West  Provinces  and  Madras,  and  not 
unknown  in  Bengal.     It  gives  some  notice  of  its  dangerous  presence  by  the 
rustling  noise  made  by  its  scales  as  it  moves  ("  Carinata  "). 

•There  were  several  large  and  hideous-looking  snakes  in  the  boxes  with 
these  deadly  species,  but  they  were  comparatively  or  quite  innocuous.  Some 
were  crotaline,  which  are  poisonous  but  do  not  kill.  And  note  a  strange 
fact  I— 

549 


550 


NOTES. 


7.  All  fresh-water  snakes  are  harmless  :  all  salt-water  snakes  (Hydrop- 
hida>)  are  most  poisonous !  Fortunately,  few  people  come  in  contact  with  the 
latter.  They  may  be  seen  in  thousands  on  the  banks  in  the  Indian  seas  at  certain 
times  of  the  year.  The  gentlemen  who  exhibited  the  snakes,  and  the  natives 
in  attendance  upon  them,  seized  the  deadliest  with  the  utmost  sangfroid,  and 
showed  us  the  fangs  distilling  crystalline  "  drops  of  death."  There  were  some 
wretched  dogs  outside  in  various  stages  of  dissolution  and  torture,  the  state 
of  which  would  have  moved  the  hearts  of  anti-vivisectionists.  And  yet  who- 
could  object  to  such  testing  of  antidotes,  the  success  of  any  one  of  which 
would  arm  science  with  the  means  of  saving  many  thousands  of  human  lives- 
every  year  ?  As  yet  no  specific  has  been  discovered  for  well-injected  snake- 
poison. 


ON  THE  CHOLERA  OUTBREAK  IN  1875. 

There  was  acute  disappointment  caused  to  thousands  by  the  change  of 
programme,  which  not  only  deprived  the  Prince  of  the  opportunity  of  visiting 
some  of  the  most  interesting  scenes  and  districts  in  India,  and  of  enjoying  the 
sport  which  was  to  have  been  expected  in  the  Annamally  Hills,  but  rendered 
extensive  preparations,  native  and  European,  to  do  him  honor  and  give  him 
appropriate  welcome  quite  abortive.  That  the  reasons  which  led  Dr.  Fayrer 
to  oppose  the  visit  of  the  Prince  were  well  founded,  the  following  figures^ 
which  are  taken  from  the  official  return  laid  before  the  Army  Sanitary  Com- 
mission, will  show. 

The  deaths  from  Cholera  in  the  districts  which  the  Prince  would  have 
visited  were  as  follows  : — 


1874. 

1875. 

Madras  and  Mysore   

313 

97>°SI 

Hyderabad,  Rajpootana,  and    Cen-  . 
tral  India  j 

4 

14,649 

It  is  quite  true  that  there  was  also  a  great  increase  of  deaths  from  Cholera 
in  districts  which  the  Prince  traversed,  but  the  danger  to  be  especially  avoided 
was  the  outbreak  or  increase  of  Cholera  in  large  camps  and  congregations  of 
people  where  the  disease  was  known  to  exist.  That  1875-6  was  a  Cholera 
year  may  be  shown  from  the  following  table  of  deaths : — 


1874. 

1875. 

Oudh        

68 

23,381 

North-West  Provinces  

6,396 

4I,I06 

NOTES.  5  5  [ 

Altogether,  it  is  much  to  be  thankful  for  that  there  was  no  outbreak  in  the 
Royal  Camps. 

Description  of  Instruments  presented  by  the  Maharaja  of  Benares,  The  originals  of  the  first 
five  are  found  in  the  Hindu  Observatory,  Benares. — Jan.  5,  1876, — (Referred  to  in  page 
348.) 

1.  DIGANSA-YANTRA. — An  instrument  for  finding  the  degrees  of  Azimuth  of  a  planet  or 
star. 

2.  DHRUVA-PROTA  CHAKRA-YANTRA. — An  instrument  for  finding  the  degrees  of  declina- 
tion of  a  planet  or  star. 

3.  YANTRA-SAMRAT  (Prince  of  instruments). — For  finding  the  distance  (in  time)  from  the- 
meridian  and'the  declination  of  a  planet  and  star,  and  of  the  sun  ',  and  the  right  ascension  of  a 
planet  or  star. 

4.  BHITTI-YANTRA  (a  mural  quadrant). — An  instrument  for  finding  the  sun's  greatest  dec- 
lination and  the  latitude  of  the  place. 

5.  VISHUVAD-YANTRA  (the   Equinoctial  circle). — An  instrument  for  ascertaining  the  dis- 
tance (in  time)  of  the  sun,  or  of  any  star  from  the  meridian. 

N.  B. — The  method  for  finding  all  these  is  given  in  the  "  Manamandira  Observatory,"  by 
Pandit  Bapii  Deva  Sastrf. 

6.  PHALAKA-YANTRA  (invented  by  Bhaskaracharya). — An  instrument  for  finding  the  tim& 
after  sunrise. 

The  detailed  account  of  this  instrument  may  be  found  in  the  translation  of  the  Siddhanta- 

siromani,  by  Lancelot  Wilkinson,  Esq.  (,"  Bibhotheca  Indica,"  p.  214.) 
7    CHAKRA-YANTRA. — An  instrument  for  finding  the  altitude  and  zenith  distance  of  the 
sun,  and  also  the  longitude  of  planets.    ("  Bibliotheca  Indica,"  p.  212.) 

8.  CHAPA-YANTRA  (semi-circle).        )      Instruments  for  finding  the  zenith  distance  and 

9.  TURYIA-YANTRA  (a  quadrant),    j  altitude  of  the  sun. 

10.  SANKU  (Gnomon).  From  its  shadow  are  ascertained  the  points  of  the  compass,  the 
place  of  the  observer,  including  latitude,  &c.,  and  time. 

The  Armillary  Sphere  represents  the  following  circles : — namely,  the  Prime  Vertical, 
Meridian,  Horizon,  Equinoctial,  Ecliptic,  &c.,  and  by  the  threads  that  are  fastened 
within  the  globe  Hindu  Astronomers  determine  the  parts  of  any  spherical  triangle  on 
the  globe. 

The  detailed  account  of  this  sphere  may  be  found  in  the  translation  of  the  Siddhinta 
siromani,by  Lancelot  Wilkinson,  Esq.  ("  Bibliotheca  Indica,"  pp.  151—176.) 

From  the  Maharaja  were  also  offered  satchels  and  caps  worked  by  the 
ladies  of  his  own  household,  velvet  mats,  fifteen  pieces  of  kinkob,  fifteen  vel- 
vet mats  embroidered  in  gold  and  silver,  window-curtains  embroidered  on  silk 
and  muslin,  jewelled  and  enamelled  swords,  spear  with  revolving  pistol  at- 
tached ;  models  of  the  Fort  of  Ramnagar  ;  an  armillary  globe  illustrating  the 
Hindoo  system  of  astronomy ;  a  gold-enamelled  inkstand,  a  model  of  the 
Maurpankhi,  or  "  peacock  boat,"  boxes  of  photographs  ;  a  model  of  the  great 
Observatory  of  Benares  in  silver  and  sissoo-wood,with  an  English  description  of 
the  various  instruments  by  the  "  Astronomer  Royal  "  of  the  College,  in  other 
words,  the  astronomical  pundit ;  a  clock,  made  in  the  Mahraja's  house  by  an 
artisan  in  his  employ,  showing  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  phases  of  the  moon,. 


552  NOTES. 

dates  of  the  month,  days  of  the  week,  hours,  and  minutes  ;  a  model  of  a  larger 
clock  of  the  same  kind  in  the  inner  court  of  the  Ramnagar  Fort ;  a  translation 
of  the  Queen's  "Life  in  the  Highlands  "  into  Hindee,  each  page  illuminated, 
bound  in  marble  and  gold,  with  a  diamond  in  each  corner,  the  Royal  Arms  on 
one  side  and  those  of  the  Maharaja  on  the  other,  printed  at  Benares,  and  illu- 
minated in  the  fort  by  an  artist  in  the  service  of  the  Maharaja,  the  marble 
executed  at  Agra  from  designs  by  the  Maharaja,  the  whole  enclosed  in  a  velvet 


THE  GOLD  AND  SILVER  GUNS,  BARODA. 

(Page  190). 

These  are  four  in  number,  two  of  gold  and  two  of  silver  ;  but  there  are 
people  who  say  or  believe  that  the  "  gold"  guns  are  of  silver  gilt.  They  are 
3-pounders.  The  carriages  are  drawn  by  white  bullocks  of  remarkable  beauty, 
caparisoned  in  robes  of  cloth  of  gold  and  gilt  trappings  ;  even  their  horns  are 
gilt.  The  limbers  are  covered  with  plates  of  silver,  and  the  tumbrils  and  cais- 
sons are  plated  with  the  same  metal,  gilt.  The  report  is  very  peculiar,  sharp 
and  metallic,  with  "  a  melodious  twang,"  like  that  with  which  Aubrey's  ghost 
was  heard  to  vanish.  The  golundauze  (gunners)  are  dressed  in  rich  and  fan- 
tastic uniforms  to  match  this  strange  artillery.  Altogether  the  battery  would 
be  a  very  rich  capture,  and  "  a  charge  on  the  guns  "  of  Baroda  would  be  very 
tempting  to  unprincipled  and  needy  cavaliers. 


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